Profiteor
by Nudgy Turian
Summary: The arrival of a new BPRD agent sparks a new alliance and puts into motion a series of events which may well put right a romantic wrong.
1. Part 1

******Profiteor**  
An Abe Sapien story by Tina Price. The arrival of a new BPRD agent sparks a new alliance and puts into motion a series of events which may well put right a romantic wrong.

**Disclaimer: **Abe Sapien, Hellboy, Liz Sherman and all characters therein are the property of and Dark Horse Comics Group and the Warner Brothers Entertainment Company.

**Author's notes: **In this story, Abe is more in line with his comic/animated persona, being a highly skilled and the most trusted of all BPRD operatives as well as more human in his interpersonal relationships. He is also able to breath out of water for extended periods of time so long as his gills do not dry out, but retains some particulars from the movie version such as psychic ability. The BPRD is set up as in the movie version. **P****rofiteor: Latin **_to declare oneself. _

**Rating:** This story is** rated M,** for sexual situations in later chapters. The NC-17 rated version is available at my website. As always, constructive criticism and advice are always appreciated!

* * *

**Part 1:**** Stressful Secrets**

It was a cool autumn evening, not long after nightfall when Hellboy went in search of his best friend. Abe had been conspicuously absent from the mess hall most nights the last few weeks and when he did show, he arrived late and left after a short while.

He'd let his friend be for this long only at Liz's insistence that he first wait him out.

"You know how introverted he sometimes gets," she'd said. "He feels things differently than we do and he seems to prefer being left to work things through on his own. Don't push him, Red."

But Abe hadn't even been himself when they'd gone out on missions and just yesterday he'd barely spoken at all, even after Hellboy had teased him mercilessly. He had a feeling deep down in his gut that things were very wrong with his friend. He'd done things Liz's way; now it was time to do things his way!

He reached the heavy doors of the library and pushed them open. Taking a step inside, he froze and gaped at the sight that met his eyes.

Abe was floating listlessly in his large tank, curled in a fetal position and drifting so that he continuously bumped gently against the glass.

He didn't seem to care.

Hellboy moved closer and sighed, noting that his friend's usually colorful skin had faded to a sickly gray.

"What's wrong, Blue?" he asked quietly. "I know you can hear me; come on out here and let's talk."

Abe shook his head, but didn't open his eyes. "I'd rather not, if you don't mind."

"You haven't joined us for dinner in days," Hellboy said. "Everyone is worried sick about you. Besides, we miss you, fish stick. At least put in an appearance."

Abe sighed, bubbles escaping his gills. "I know you all mean well, but constantly hearing your concern in my head is... becoming very difficult to bear," he answered, his voice pitched low and barely audible.

"Then let's go for a walk; just you and me," Hellboy cajoled. "Come on, Blue; you haven't been out in a while and it is a beautiful evening."

Abe's hand came out to steady himself against the aquarium's glass even as his eyes opened, his dual lids blinking rapidly. He unfolded his body and finally focused on Hellboy's face.

"All right, Red," he said. "I'll walk with you."

"Well, alright!" Hellboy quickly took the stairs to the upper level even as Abe swam to the surface and met him in time to grasp his arm and haul him out in one quick motion.

"Don't forget your coat and scarf," he cautioned as Abe moved to pull on the top to his wet suit. "As much as I'd like to see you get your color back, I don't want you turning blue from the cold."

Abe offered him a small smile and nodded as he moved off to collect the required outerwear.

* * *

It was early November and most of the leaves had already dropped from the trees, yet here and there brown crisp ones fluttered to the ground. 

Hellboy stopped on the gravel path at the rear of the complex and lit a new cigar as Abe stood downwind, hands thrust into his coat pockets, eyes turned downward beneath large, water-filled goggles.

Hellboy watched him as he puffed his cigar to life.

With his gills, eyes and head all but hidden beneath an over sized hooded parka, Abe was nearly unrecognizable, but his outerwear did nothing to conceal his troubled stance. That was the thing about Abe; he could be hard to read unless you realized that his body did the talking for him.

Tonight he was both stiff and silent.

With a sigh, Hellboy resumed his unhurried walk towards the wooded, relatively private back of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development, which was both their home and their employer.

"Come on, Blue, talk to me," he grumbled. "You'll feel better for it."

At that Abe's head came up, his eyes reflecting the glow of the far off complex lights in an eerie, gator-like way, despite the goggles covering them.

"I can't," he said, almost too softly for his friend to hear.

"Why not, Blue? You afraid to trust me?"

Abe shook his head. "No, it isn't that, Red. You know better. It's just that whatever I might say could be construed as a breech of someone else's privacy."

Hellboy came to standstill and he fixed his friend with a piercing stare. "Girl troubles? You kidding me?"

Abe seemed to bristle, finally shaking off his apathy. "Why must you always connect all problems with women?"

"Because, Blue... when there's something not right between two men it usually doesn't become a huge problem and even if it is, it's never a secret. You seem to have both a problem and a secret; therefore there's a woman involved." Hellboy puffed heavily on his cigar and shot Abe a smug look.

Blinking rapidly, his mouth quirking, Abe shook his head and then shrugged. "OK, I'll allow for that strange line of reasoning," he said, then sighed heavily. "But I still cannot tell you what is troubling me."

"What; afraid I'll think less of ya?" Hellboy jibed.

"When he answered, Abe was very serious indeed, "As a matter of fact, I fear you would. Believe me; it would be best not to involve anyone else in this matter."

"Not even Liz?" Hellboy asked.

Abe shot him a sudden, sharp look. "Especially not Liz!" he answered, too quickly.

Hellboy chomped on his cigar. "So, still carrying the torch for her, eh? Afraid she's gonna find out about some other gal? Well, I got news for ya, buddy; she's already got her suspicions. Ya can't hide something like that from a woman for long."

"Suspicions?" Abe actually stuttered the word.

"Yeah. She thinks that something is going on with that new agent; Meyeul. Ya know she's married, don't ya?"

Abe nodded. "Yes. I know that. You know that. Everyone knows that."

"Hey! No need to get sarcastic!" Red thought furiously about how else he might draw the truth from the tall, lithe chimera. Unfortunately, before he could reply, both of their com units went off, signally a job.

Without a word, they both turned and ran back towards the building.

* * *

The call turned out to be nothing more than a minor shade demon. In the end Abe's presence was not required and Hellboy was soon departing with his usual contingent these days; Agents John Meyers, Miriam Meyeul, Terrence Conyers and Salvatore Bastiani. 

As the group exited the conference room, Abe managed to intercept Agent Meyeul by stepping gracefully between her and the doorway.

"Miriam, a moment please," he pleaded.

She stopped and gave him a wary nod, looking him up and down as she sometimes did.

At those times he picked up a mix of guilt and admiration from her. She liked the way he looked and found him far more attractive than her sense of propriety allowed. Such feelings from her only made his own that much harder to deal with. He automatically started to reach out to her, wanting a deeper connection, but then realized the folly of it and lowered his hand.

"He's bad tonight," he managed to say and nearly cringed at the wave of fear that the agent suddenly projected. "Maybe you could find a way to stay out late once the mission wraps?"

"You know that's not possible, Abe," she said, her expression grim. "I have no choice but to return when Hellboy does."

He stepped nearer and studied her face, moved by her beauty as well as her inner strength. "I fear for you," he said softly. "This cannot go on..."

She grimaced. "He is my husband, Abe. He has the right."

He shook his head and began to tremble uncontrollably. "No he does not! Miriam, don't you see this?"

As he made to take her arm, she stepped to the side, avoiding him smoothly. "I've told you before; stay out of it. It isn't your business and does not concern you."

He wilted, his shoulders sagging in defeat. "It is my business, Miriam. I've been trying not to make things worse for you by telling you, but…"

She looked stricken. "If you're going to tell me you have feelings for me, please don't!" she said quickly.

He shook his head and dropped his eyes to the floor. "Then I will not say it, but that was not my intent in the first place."

"Then just spit it out," she sighed. "I really need to go..."

"You know what I am. You know my abilities…" He trembled, his color fading to a gray while his eyes remained glued to the floor. "When it happens…"

"Oh dear lord!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Are you telling me that you feel it?"

He nodded and finally lifted his eyes to meet hers.

She too had gone a grayish color and her eyes were welling with tears. Worst of all, the overriding emotion he felt coming off her in waves was shame.

With a gasp that sounded like a sob, she turned and bolted out the door.

Just like that she was gone.

* * *

In his office, Thomas Manning, Director or Operations, clicked off the video feed from the conference room and sat back in his chair. Then he leaned forward steepled his fingers and sighed. 

"So that's it," he breathed.

The staff physician who specialized in treating Abe had informed him over a week ago that something was severely stressing the aquatic agent.

Now Manning might not give a fig about Hellboy, whom he saw as a giant pain in the ass, but Abe was another matter entirely. Sapien was the organization's oldest, most trusted and valuable agent.

And so he'd kept his eyes open and monitored the fellow.

What he'd learned tonight was nearly enough for him to completely solve this little mystery. All it would take was a bit more evidence.

He suspected that correcting the problem once he identified it was going to be the tricky part.

Accessing the FBI's encoded files via his computer, he brought up the last two weeks of digital recordings from two specific BPRD cameras.

**An Intolerable Situation**

It started sometime after two.

Abe awoke in his tank to a now-familiar feeling of dread that quickly turned to pure terror. Rolling into a ball, he wrapped his long arms around himself and prepared for the onslaught.

When it came, he found that he was not nearly as prepared as he had thought. It always surprised and shocked him to his very core how visceral and raw the emotions were that consumed him.

As bubbles escaped his lungs, the product of his stifled screams, he began to thrash and flail.

Mercifully, as the event reached its inevitable conclusion, he blacked out.

* * *

"What in the Hell happened to him?" Hellboy growled the moment he entered the medical bay. His friend was floating quietly in his isolation tank looking very much the worse for wear. 

Liz had entered the room ahead of him and was clearly beside herself. "My God!" she gasped. "He's nearly colorless!" She was all but embracing the tank, her hand pressed against it nearest his floating body. "Abe! Abe, honey, can you hear me?" She pleaded, yet received no response; not even a twitch.

Hellboy pulled her away and put an arm around her shoulders, then turned to glare at Manning and Dr. Nagata, Abe's physician.

"Well?" he snarled.

"Many fish lose their color when they've been stressed to their limits," Nagata said. "Abe has been under some kind of enormous emotional stress lately and I fear it's going to kill him unless we put an end to it."

"Come on Doc, you can't die from stress; at least not that quickly or without a heart attack or something!" Hellboy groused.

"You and I cannot, but I assure you that Abe might. As his best friends, you two ought to know better than anyone that he has, for the most part, a serene disposition. Many things that bother you or I tend not to bother or upset him. But I suspect that the right trigger; something beyond his control, perhaps something psychic, brutal and prolonged… would put him in a state of such stress that it would affect him physicall. It would be very difficult for Abe to weather such a thing, especially if the emotions conveyed were foreign to his nature." The doctor sighed. "Anyway, that's just one possibility. I really cannot say for certain what has been stressing him and he's refused all opportunity to discuss it."

"He won't talk to us about it, either," Liz said, wilting against Hellboy. "He's never kept secrets from me before..."

Manning suddenly pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning on. "Fortunately for all of us, I have discovered the problem," he said, surprising the two agents. "Yes, I'm well aware that neither of you like me much, but you should both remember that I was put in charge of this operation for a reason. Despite your poor opinion of me, I do have my strong points."

"So, ya gonna tell us what's wrong with Blue or not?" Hellboy challenged.

"Not." Manning smiled humorlessly. "There was a very good reason why Abe chose to keep this to himself. Unfortunately for those involved, he's too valuable a team member to allow this risk to continue. Like it or not, those responsible will be confronted."

As the others made to protest, he held up his hand. "If there is a reason for you to know more, then you will. Otherwise, you can just remind yourselves of the danger in being too curious, got it?"

Just then Agent Meyeul entered the room and gasped when she saw Abe.

"No…" she moaned.

Manning turned towards the others. "Doctor, perhaps you could take Liz and Red here into the other room and fill them in on Abe's current status while I have a little private chat with Agent Meyeul?"

"Of course, Sir." Dr. Nagata indicated the doorway. "If you two will follow me?"

Liz moved forward and again placed a hand on Abe's tank as she whispered something to him. Then she followed the others from the room, throwing one last, measuring look Meyeul's way.

After they'd gone, Manning turned to face the remaining agent. Meyeul was clearly quite upset; and well she should be, he thought to himself. "We have something very serious to discuss," he announced. "I want you and that husband of yours in my office in ten minutes."

She nodded; her face pale and drawn.

"Would you prefer me to have him fetched by someone else?" Manning asked, suddenly looking apologetic.

"No thank you. I should probably do this myself."

Placing her hand on the tank, she whispered something and then quickly left the room.

Manning was wondering what she might have said when Abe suddenly spoke.

"She said that she was sorry," he said weakly, barely able to open his eyes.

"Don't you worry, Fish Stick," Manning soothed. "I know what's going on and it will be resolved as quickly and privately as possible.

"Please be careful," the aquatic man whispered, appearing to be regaining his strength. "Protect her…"

"That's enough of that, Abe. You know very well that I'll do my best for her..."

**Soap Operas are Nothing!**

Miriam Meyeul hurried down a back corridor in a state approaching a full-blown panic. Added to that was a tremendous guilt over Agent Sapien's condition. The poor thing had been trying to tell her that her problems were destroying him as well.

Stopping for a moment in a dark, little-traveled hallway, she leaned against the wall and gave in to the tears she'd been holding back.

She allowed herself only a minute, as she always did and then wiped her face and continued on her way.

Her destination was the guardroom where her husband and his company could be found. They were all ex-military; not your average security force by any stretch of the imagination. Most had been involved in special ops and therefore most of them were pretty messed up, her husband included.

Miriam wasn't certain exactly what would happen to them in Manning's office, but she did know that there was a huge potential for a devastating outcome. She would have to use every precaution in dealing with Craig if she wanted both Manning and herself to ever leave the office alive.

Just then she made the final turn and found herself standing outside the guardroom. She'd already passed through several heavy security doors and now confronted one that wouldn't even admit her.

With a gulp, she reached out and pressed the buzzer.

Within seconds a camera zoomed in on the identification badge she held up and a disembodied voice rang out, "What is it?"

"The director would like to see Sargent Meyeul in his office immediately."

There was a pause and then her husband, Craig, stepped out. Shooting her a withering look he quickly headed down the corridor, forcing her to scurry to keep up.

It was only when they were well away from the guardroom that he scowled at her and asked, "What's he want?"

Somehow she kept her voice steady when she answered, "Agent Sapien was taken very ill last night. I think it has something to do with us..."

"Us?" He shot her a truly puzzled look.

"With what you did to me; what you always seem to do when you get angry at anything."

He stopped and shoved her up against the wall, leaning brutally on her chest with his elbow. His voice was a dangerous hiss, "And how would that affect the fish guy? Have you been telling him, Miriam?"

She shook her head. "He's psychic, Craig. He's been picking up on it since we moved in and you went back to your old ways. I didn't realize until he began warning me when you were in one of your moods."

"What?!"

"I begged him not to tell anyone; that it would cost us our jobs and make things worse and I know he hasn't talked, but yesterday he was trying to tell me that it was damaging him... and I just didn't listen."

"You should have told me this!" Craig's face was now pale, fear having replaced anger.

"I couldn't risk having you beat me for it," she hissed, now growing angry herself. "Now a top operative is out of action and I have a feeling that Manning has somehow guessed. What are we going to do?"

A wicked grin split Craig's face. "He has no evidence, has he? He won't be able to find any, either, will he? The worst he can do is reassign us."

"I like it here," she said. "I don't want to give up my position. If you get reassigned, I want to stay."

"Where I go, you go." Craig forced a kiss on her. "That's always been the deal, babe. You know what will happen if you break the deal..."

He suddenly straightened, allowing her off the wall. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

Miriam rubbed her chest and then followed after him.

* * *

"Blue! Listen to the doctor; you shouldn't be out of the tank until you're stronger!" Hellboy pleaded with his friend, but Abe seemed to be having none of it. 

Some color had returned to the amphibious man, who was currently struggling to hoist himself out of the medical tank.

"Red, I'm coming out whether you help me or not, but I'd much rather have your help," he stated in his usual, calm way.

With a sigh, Hellboy reached up and hauled him out by an arm.

"What's this all about, Abe?" Liz asked, putting an arm around the slight man while he tottered unsteadily. Dr. Nagata rushed over and got a stethoscope on his chest while Abe was too busy acclimating to gravity to care.

"You do seem to be recovering," the doc said. "At least your heartbeat is stable again. I know you're as stubborn as your friend here, so I leave it to you to decide what you can or can't do, but I want you back here tonight for monitoring at the first sign of trouble, understood?"

Abe nodded to him and was surprised when Liz steered him away from the others.

"Blue..." she began, clearly struggling to find words.

She didn't need to. He read her more clearly than he ever had before. Embracing her while making it look like he was leaning on her for support, he whispered near her ear, "I know, Liz. I know how you feel, even if you don't."

Then he gently extricated himself from her, took her hand and spoke so that the others could hear him, "I know you and Red want to help and I know it hurts you not to know what is hurting me, but there are some things we all have to face by ourselves and this is one of those things."

He released her hand and took a few steps towards the door, but spoke to her directly; mind to mind, "As for your concerns regarding Meyeul; the fact remains that you chose Red, Liz. So long as that remains the case, you can have no say in my personal endeavors."

Liz bowed her head; the only indication that she'd heard him and he moved to the door before addressing them all, "If you'll excuse me, there is something I must see to."

And with that he was gone.

* * *

The agent and the security guard stood at attention in front of Manning's desk as the man stared at them from over the top of his steepled fingers. 

"I'm going to cut to the chase," Manning said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair and frowning deeply. "Agent Meyeul, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your husband has been abusing you. Such actions are in violation of both the law and our tolerance as an organization..."

"This is an outrageous claim!" Craig interrupted. "Sir, I think I better warn you that unless you have absolute proof, that I will exercise my rights and seek restitution!"

Manning smiled with all the charm of a shark and gestured towards Miriam. "Please step forward and roll up your sleeves for me?" he asked.

She did as she was bade and somehow managed to keep a blank look on her face when Manning gasped. It was clear that he was shocked at the fact that she bore not a mark of the last night's beating.

"You see, sir?" Craig chirped smugly. "I never laid a hand on her."

Manning shook his head. "I had hoped we wouldn't have to resort to this, but what the hell..." He pointed at the wall behind them, where a large screen had dropped down form the ceiling. "You are each guaranteed privacy here at the bureau except in cases where there is probable cause. If you read the fine print in your contracts when you signed them then you know this."

He stood and stared right at her. "Since Agent Meyeul refuses to make a complaint against you, I normally would have no choice but to let this go... except that, in this case, there is another victim involved."

"What the hell are you talking about, sir?" Craig snarled.

"I'm talking about Special Agent Sapien of course," he replied, again giving Miriam a piercing look. "He is without a doubt our most valued and trusted operative. I cannot allow something which is endangering his life to continue and your beating your wife is such a something. He feels every blow you land on her. He's psychic, you see..."

Reaching into his pocket he produced a remote and in the next second Miriam saw her last meeting with Abe in the conference room appear. She groaned as Craig watched the video and then shot her a murderous look.

"And that would be my probable cause," Manning stated dryly as the recording ended. "Now for the evidence."

A new image came up on the screen; a split image of Operative Sapien's tank and of...

"Oh please no..." she breathed, feeling sick when she recognized their own bedroom.

"Sorry Agent," the director mumbled as the split images showing synced time tags began to move.

In the bedroom Craig was clearly seen punching, slapping and choking her while in his tank Abe recoiled and reacted to each blow as though they had been landed on him.

In the bedroom she was quickly a bloody, bruised mess, her cries ceasing as she lost consciousness. In his tank, Abe went stiff and then also lost consciousness, floating limply in his tank as what was left of his color faded and a thin cloud of blue blood blossomed from his nostrils.

Manning stopped the playback there. I don't think any of us wants to see what happened while you were unconscious, Agent," he said grimly. Then he turned towards Craig. "This surveillance footage lives in the FBI mainframe, Sergeant. It can never be erased or removed by us mere mortals, nor can you or anyone you know access it. It is proof irrefutable of your crimes; assault with intent to kill or to inflict serious bodily harm and rape."

"She hasn't got a mark on her!" Craig yelled, his temper quickly getting out of control. "You have no case!"

"I'm afraid that I must correct you," came a voice from behind them.

They turned to find Agent Sapien had entered the room.

Abe stared at her husband, a man he'd never actually met before and his color began to change again, growing dark, his markings standing out vividly. In seconds a brilliant yellow orange had bloomed over his gills and his jaw.

Miriam instantly realized that she was seeing a territorial display. It was a visual warning to either an enemy... or a rival.

"I am a witness," Sapien continued. "And worse yet, I know what is in your heart; I know what you are thinking and I know everything you've done. My testimony would be damning indeed. I suggest that you let the director finish what he was about to say."

Moving forward, he placed himself between Craig and her and then gave her a searching look even as she heard him speak in her head.

"Fear not. I see what Manning is about to do and you will, I think, find it acceptable."

She nodded slightly and then dropped her eyes to the floor as Manning spoke.

"You have two choices, Sargent," he said. "Arrest with a very long prison term or you can divorce your wife and never go near her again, in which case you will be allowed to keep your rank and your position here."

Miriam gasped and stared at the director in shock.

"Come now, Agent," Manning chided. "I know your religion. I know this is the only way; that you have no say in whether you remain married or not, while he can literally dump you on the spot." He looked at her husband again. "Well, Meyeul; what will it be?"

"There will be no reprisals? I will maintain my rank?"

"All will be as it is now except that you are never to contact Agent Meyeul again. Is that understood?"

Craig nodded and then turned to face her. "I divorce you," he said. Then in a louder voice repeated, "I divorce you. I divorce you."

She nearly fainted in relief.

"I'll have the proper paperwork taken care of," Manning added. "I don't think I need to tell you what will happen to you if you ever raise a hand outside of combat situation again, do I?" he added dangerously.

"No sir."

"Then you're dismissed, Sargent."

Craig left the room without another look back.

It seemed all so easy... too easy, she thought. He would find a way; some way to kill her even if it meant his own death. The room swam as she nearly fainted and then a rough hand grasped her arm and propelled her into a chair.

"Take a few deep breaths," Abe suggested.

"Just a few more things and the two of you can go get some much needed rest," Manning said, moving to stand near them. "Abe, I'm putting her in your care. From now on she is assigned exclusively as your senior Agent when you're on assignment. I expect you to keep her safe when she's here at home, even as she will guard your back in the field. Is that amenable to both of you?"

"Yes sir," they both said at the same time.

"Good, because I'm not giving you a choice," Manning spat. "Now get out of here and try to give me some peace for a while!"

"Come along Miriam," Abe took her arm and gently coaxed her to her feet.

She rose and followed him blindly, in a state of shock. It seemed as though she were walking through a fog, as though everything was a dream...

"Oh no, it's quiet real," Abe chirped as they turned a corridor and headed for her room.

She focused on him then and saw that his color had faded to a more normal tone. He seemed to be completely recovered.

"I feel better knowing that this is over," he explained, and then asked, "Did I really put on a display in there?" He blinked rapidly at her and at her confirming nod he smiled. "I had no idea that I could do such a thing. I guess I had better be careful and learn to control that; I wouldn't want to give away my state of mind at an inopportune time."

Miriam stopped moving and cleared her throat. "So which was it?"

"You mean enemy or rival? I heard your thoughts quite clearly at the time, you know."

She nodded. "I know. Which?"

He remained quiet for some time, his eyes studying her frankly and then shrugged. "It was a sign of aggression; I really dislike that man and would have welcomed the chance to take him down," he admitted. "We can discuss this more at some future time. Right now we need to get going; you're about to fall down and I'm not doing so well myself."

She balked. "It isn't over, Sir," she whispered. "It's only just beginning. He will not allow me to live."

Abe's color paled slightly again. "I felt that earlier from both of you, but you are under my protection now and you'll find that I am quite good at what I do."

Again he studied her intently as she struggled to control her emotions; she was perilously close to breaking down. Any kindness from him now would undo her.

Being psychic, he obviously realized that, because he did something so simple and yet so heartening that she was able to keep her composure; he took her hand, gave it a gentle squeeze and began to lead her down the corridor after him.

A short time later they arrived at the door to her quarters. Abe let go of her hand and wasted no time in punching in a series of commands at the security keypad. Then he paused and turned towards her.

"Miriam, please enter a new security access code for your quarters," he said, stepping aside and gently guiding her to the keypad with a hand on her shoulder.

Her mind froze and for a moment she couldn't think what to key in as a code, but then it came to her. She quickly typed out the word, FREEDOM and at the small smirk that creased her companion's mouth, she knew he'd picked up on it.

"And very appropriate it is, too," he said softly.

The door opened after she retyped the new password and she hesitantly entered with Abe right behind her.

She looked around the room as memories flooded her. A few; a very few, were good ones. Somehow she put them from her mind, conscious of the strange man who stood beside her. These were not for him to see; he'd seen enough already.

"Enough to last a lifetime," he said sadly, from just behind her. "You are young, though and you will no doubt meet someone who will replace such memories with ones worth having."

Tears began to roll down her face. "You've been so kind to me," she said aloud even as she wondered why she couldn't have met someone like him earlier in her life.

"I did nothing; 'twas Manning who put the puzzle together and found a solution," Abe replied, leaning closer.

Suddenly confused and self-conscious, she all but jumped away from him and began moving things around, picking up Craig's belongings and piling them in a corner.

Again Abe gently took her hand, stilling her efforts. "You're in shock," he stated as he led her to the bed and made her sit. "There will be time for sorting later. Right now you need to try to rest."

"I can't," she said, staring down at her hands, which she was wringing in her lap. "I don't think I'll ever sleep again. It isn't safe…"

"It's perfectly safe right now," he answered, kneeling beside her. "I'm right down the hall and I will be here immediately should anything frighten you. Besides, as you saw, your quarters are now yours alone and secured against unwanted visitors." He cupped her chin and lifted it so that she met his eyes. "You're strong. You will do well. Will you try to rest if I leave you for a time?"

She nodded; unable to speak when his gaze seemed to hold her own captive.

At her thought, he smiled slightly and broke contact, rising gracefully to his feet. "I am in dire need of my tank," he whispered. "I'll be back later on. Don't open the door for anyone else." He moved to the door and looked back at her. "In the meantime, if you need me, just call out."

He exited as she pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them, all the warmth in the room having left with him.

* * *

Abe hurried down the hallway to the library; the fastest way to gain entry to his tank and wasted little time in climbing the stairs and diving in. He took several delicious, deep gulps of water, forcing the stream over his parched gills and relaxing as his dizziness and discomfort passed. 

If only he'd had his re-breather handy when he'd climbed out of the med tank; then he could still be keeping a watch over his newest team member.

He knew that she was about to crack. He could literally feel it. Humans felt emotions so strongly; so much more strongly than he seemed to. This was neither wrong nor right; it simply was. He knew this from years of association with them as well as from all the literature he'd consumed.

He'd once mentioned this to Liz and she had given him a pitying look.

"You will feel it one day," she'd predicted. "I only hope that when you do, that it doesn't destroy you. You live behind glass. You live your life by proxy; by feeding off the emotions around you, but one day you will feel them first hand. You won't be able to tune them out or hide from them, Abe. All I can say is that you better be ready when it happens."

Abe shivered in his tank. The memory of her words caused him a moment of sadness and a deeply felt sense of injustice. Liz never knew that her words had come home to roost the night she'd announced her intentions to pursue a relationship with Red. His heart had twisted within him and he'd been unable to eat for days afterwards. Even now, seeing the two of them together caused him terrible pain and even guilt; after all, should he not be happy for his friends?

Compounding things was the fact that more often than not, he and Liz were still paired on assignments, which put them in each other's company for long periods of time. Their mutual affection and attraction always surfaced then, raising up his hopes only to squash them completely once they returned to headquarters and he saw Red waiting for her.

With a sigh that made bubbles escape his lungs, he sank to the bottom of the tank. The worst thing of all about losing Liz was that she did love him. He could feel it radiate from her every time she looked at him. Sadly, she'd ultimately chosen Red because she felt he had more to offer her romantically and only Abe's own pride had prevented him from proving her wrong.

Closing his eyes, Abe finally managed to sleep, exhaustion having caught up with him.

Next Up: **Hidden Truths**


	2. Part 2

**Profiteor**  
An Abe Sapien story by Tina Price. The arrival of a new BPRD agent sparks a new alliance and puts into motion a series of events which may well put right a romantic wrong.

**Disclaimer: **Abe Sapien, Hellboy, Liz Sherman and all characters therein are the property of and Dark Horse Comics Group and the Warner Brothers Entertainment Company.

**Author's notes: **In this story, Abe is more in line with his comic/animated persona, being a highly skilled and the most trusted of all BPRD operatives as well as more human in his interpersonal relationships. He is also able to breath out of water for extended periods of time so long as his gills do not dry out, but retains some particulars from the movie version such as psychic ability. The BPRD is set up as in the movie version. **P****rofiteor: Latin **_to declare oneself. _

* * *

**Part 2: Hidden Truths**

It was very early the next morning when Liz stumbled from her quarters and made her way down the corridor to Hellboy's. She'd always refused his invitations to move in with him on the basis that he had too many cats and that basically, he was a slob. The few times she'd allowed him to talk her into an overnighter at his place, she'd regretted it, waking up covered in cat hair and lord knew what else!

She hadn't slept well the night before and was tired, yet still restless. Knowing that Red really didn't sleep much, she had no fear of her early visit waking him, and so she let herself in without knocking.

She was therefore both surprised to find him leaning over a desk with Dr. Kate Corrigan, his arm about her shoulder and their heads close together.

"Hey; what's up?" she called out, feigning indifference.

They jumped apart guiltily before turning to greet her.

As Red gave her a hug, Kate looked her up and down. "Looks like you had a rough night," she commented.

"Yeah. Didn't sleep well," she replied. "When did you get back?" Kate had been gone a month at least, investigating ancient hauntings in the north of Scotland.

"Just last night," she replied. "I was showing Red, here some of my pictures from the case."

"And guess what, Liz?" Hellboy chirped. "As soon as she got back, Manning called her in to discuss Miriam Meyeul. Not only do we know what was going on; why Blue was ill, but we have all the juicy details!"

"Really?" Liz felt her heart sink at the phrase, 'juicy details'. "So don't keep me waiting; spill it!"

Kate quickly relayed the events of the previous evening, including Meyeul's sudden divorce, her reassignment as Abe's chief backup agent, a position that would have her tagging along with him and Liz on assignments and finally, her Craig Meyeul's transfer out."

"That ain't all," Hellboy added, gleefully. "It turns out that Blue's crush has been hiding some powers of her own; Manning and Abe think that she can regenerate and heal from nearly any physical damage."

"Great," she sighed.

"I'm going to be assisting with her assessment this morning," Kate added. "We should know more about her abilities by this evening, although it may take weeks to get all the information we need." She looked at her watch. "Oh! I really have to be going. Good to see you two again! Catch you later!"

"Yeah; knock yourself out," Liz replied as the other woman left.

"Hey, Liz; what's with the attitude?" Red asked, turning to face her.

"Oh, I don't know... it might have something to do with my finding the two of you acting so cozy when I walked in," she replied.

He raised a brow ridge. "Hey; It ain't like that!"

"No, but you wish it were. You always have," she sighed.

"Now wait just a minute..."

She held up a hand. "I don't want to argue, Red. What I said is the truth and we both know it. You're with me because she wasn't interested... at least not back then."

"Liz..."

She turned. "I gotta be going," she said. "I'll catch up with you later."

As the door closed behind her, she heard him growl, "Dames!"

* * *

Abe was feeling like himself for the first time in weeks when he awoke. The psychic and physical pain were gone and he felt calm and nearly at peace with himself.

Nearly was as close as he knew he would get to peaceful until he finally resolved his feelings for Liz.

Knowing that Kate was already paying Miriam a visit, he exited his pool via the tunnel to his hidden quarters, where he took care of his business and then did two very human things that most people would never suspect he did; he showered and brushed his teeth.

Showering was important to his health. Like any human, he did slough off dead skin cells and it was important that he pay careful attention to his unique epidermis so that he didn't develop cracks or ignore wounds that might later harbor unpleasant organisms. To that end, he scrubbed down with a mildly abrasive disinfectant soap each morning. While he did so, his tank water was being recirculated at maximum capacity through the special biofilters in the pump room.

So far, this routine had kept him healthy ever since this facility had been readied for him. Before that, he'd been plagued by years of poor health due to relapsing infections owing to the then ignorance of the BPRD's medical staff when it came to marine life... and to the poor housing he'd been forced to tolerate. Manning might be thought of as a prick by most of his subordinates, but Abe owed him much; including the new accommodations.

As for brushing his teeth; he didn't really need to; he'd never had a cavity, but it felt good and he liked the fresh taste the toothpaste provided. Besides, he just couldn't stand the thought of ever having Liz think his breath fishy, or lord help him, having her complain that he still smelled like the century eggs he so loved.

Finishing his toiletries, he dunned a rather mundane outfit, one the others rarely saw him wear; a T-shirt with his favorite vest over top of it, a pair of half length khaki pants and sneakers. Lastly, he added his utility belt. He called it his "blending in" outfit because it was the most typical human getup he had.

After rubbing some special body lotion into his exposed fins to shine them up and protect their extra thin membranes from drying out, headed for his small kitchen, but then changed his mind and decided to dine in the cafeteria, something he hadn't done some in quite some time.

* * *

Liz was seated by herself in the upstairs dining area and looking through a vacation package as she sipped her coffee. This particular dining room was located on the ground floor of the complex, in the rear of the facility. The large, two story windows let sunlight stream in while the outdoor patio was surrounded with a privacy fence made of brick, which kept the more unique looking operatives out of the public view.

She was actually enjoying the warm sunlight and found its bright radiance lifting to her spirits. The truth was that she didn't know what to do. It had reached the point where she could no longer ignore her yearning for Abe; hell, it was making her miserable. Each time they were away on a mission together, she found herself drawn in more by him. She yearned for him and for his good opinion and if it weren't for the fact that she'd been the one who made the big mistake, her course of action would be a simple one; throw herself at his feet and beg his forgiveness. But that was not the case. She was at fault and now someone else's feelings were involved. It wasn't just between her and Abe; she didn't want to hurt Hellboy.

It was as these thoughts were yet again swirling through her mind, that Abe himself entered the dining area. And that was a startling thing; he rarely took his first meal of the day in public and he never dined up here, where he'd be surrounded by people who were aware of his existence but completely unused to interacting with him.

He disliked feeling like a public spectacle.

That could mean only one thing; he was here for her.

She felt her heart quicken as he looked at her and started heading in her direction, tray in hands. He was wearing the T-shirt outfit that she so loved on him and she found herself admiring him as he approached, all lean muscle and graceful motion. The outfit actually emphasized the lean, yet well defined muscles of his arms and calves, as well as showing off the colorful fins located there.

He stopped in front of her. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, pointedly ignoring the stares of those around them.

She smiled, letting her pleasure at his company show. "Never," she quipped.

Instantly he slid into the chair opposite her, placing his tray down before him. The sunlight struck him full in the face and showed off the iridescent shimmer of his skin even as he blinked his second eyelids closed.

He noticed her staring and smiled. "Bet you wish you could do that," he said.

She laughed. "Who wouldn't want to always carry a pair of natural goggles with them?"

He pointed at her brochures. "What have you got there?"

She sighed. "Vacation packages. I might want to get away for a while."

Nodding in apparent understanding, he took a bite of his scrambled eggs. The rest of his breakfast consisted of link sausages, fresh grapes and hot tea.

"Where are your kippers?" she asked, surprised that he was eating sausage.

"I thought I would cut you a break today," he answered, well aware of her dislike for the little fish he favored in the mornings and which he ate faithfully whenever they were out on assignment together.

"So then, you did come here looking for me."

He put down his fork. "I wanted to apologize for what I said to you yesterday in the medical bay," he said, then sighed. "I just wasn't feeling myself, Liz. You know that I value both you and your opinions. Under normal circumstances I would never tell you to mind your business."

She smiled wryly. "Well, maybe you should," she sighed. "Abe, how can you still be so good a friend to a nut job like me? I really don't deserve you and you deserve better than me, that's for certain. Her voice trailed off as tears began to prick her eyes.

He reached out to take her hand. "You should know better than that. All I can say is that I was struck by how empty my life became during the years you spent in that monastery. It was enough for me to realize that I always want you to be a part of my life, Liz. More than that; I also want you to be happy. Please try to be happy. Decide what is best for you and stop worrying about me."

"That's just it, Abe," she started to say. "I..."

As their rotten luck would have it, their belts began to buzz and blink.

"Great!" Liz groused, gathering her papers and standing.

Abe snatched his grapes just before they both made for the doorway at a jog. "Why must this always happen during breakfast?" he mumbled around around a grape he'd popped into his mouth.

* * *

Fifty minutes later they found themselves geared up and standing around a very large, open manhole just south and east of First Avenue and twenty-ninth street on the grounds of the Bellevue Hospital complex on the east side of New York city.

They were both shaking their heads at the sounds floating up from the depths, while their backup personnel... just plain backed up.

"Abe?" she asked, tremulously.

"I don't like it either," he answered, still managing to sound unfazed.

The manhole was located in a small grassy outcropping not far from FDR drive, which put it in fairly close proximity to the East River.

The BPRD had been monitoring complaints and alarms emerging from the residents and staff of the facility for months now and had noted an alarming trend upwards of such events.

Whereas most agencies and hospital administrations might ignore such things and even laugh them off as the imaginings of the mentally ill, the BPRD had long since recognized that many such patients actually were much more susceptible to supernatural influences. In other words, the organization monitored such complaints and took them quite seriously.

The BPRD therefore had not been too surprised to receive multiple reports of a ghostly figure roaming the grassy area adjacent to the parking lot outside the hospital. Worse yet, one caretaker had been attacked while crossing the area on the way to the parking lot earlier that morning.

Only her legs had been found.

Another unnerving moan floated up from the ground accompanied by the strange clicks and scrapes they'd been hearing.

"Why are we the ones dealing with this?" Liz asked, not for the first time.

"Hellboy wouldn't fit down there," Abe answered simply. "Besides, this is close enough to the river that it may well be flooded in places, so that puts it in my jurisdiction."

She looked down at the waders she was wearing and silently prayed that the water wouldn't be deep enough to flood them. "However do you keep from catching diseases?" she asked.

"Shots. Lots of them," he said dryly, then added, "Come on, we might as well get this show on the road."

He led the way down the steel ladder embedded in the sewer concrete and Liz followed close behind, determined to stay close to him. He stopped near the bottom and so did she, knowing that he was listening and checking the darkness to make certain that it was safe to proceed.

Finally he moved again and she soon found herself ankle deep on the watery bottom while Abe steadied her with a hand on her upper arm.

"It's this way," he whispered near her ear as he pointed west.

She was glad to see that they'd be heading away from the river. As he moved slowly in the direction he'd indicated, she followed, staying within reach of him. She had headlamps strapped to her head, but it would be best to rely on Abe's night vision wherever possible. They didn't want to give their prey advance warning of their approach.

Some minutes later, he stopped. "Fork," he whispered.

She activated her GPS and looked the screen over. "We're under the First Avenue intersection."

He nodded and remained still, as they both listened intently. Soon enough they heard the moans and clicking start up again.

Unfortunately, they were coming from two different directions.

The clicks and scrapes came from up ahead while the moans were from the tunnel to their left. They would have to split up.

"Which do you want?" Abe whispered.

She shivered. The moans were just too unnerving in that they sounded like poltergeist activity. Her abilities were better suited towards substantial opponents. "I'll go after the scraper," she breathed.

He gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze before turning down the tunnel to the left and quickly disappearing in the darkness.

Liz moved on ahead a few paces before turning on her head lamps in order to help prevent their glare from interfering with Abe's night vision. Then she slowly started creeping forward again, the clicks and scrapes quickly growing louder as she progressed. Now she could actually feel the vibration in the cement around her in addition to hearing the strange sounds.

She was approaching the next manhole at Second Avenue when both the moaning and the cacophony increased in volume. Her headset suddenly hissed in her ear as Abe made contact.

"Liz… you're not going to believe this but I've found the source of the moans…"

Just then something rounded the juncture just ahead of her, causing her to jump back and yell loudly. "What in the hell?!"

"Liz, what is it?" came Abe's static laden voice.

"I wish I knew! Gotta go!" She cut the transmission.

Backing up rapidly, she tried to make sense out of the huge creature stalking slowly, but steadily towards her.

It was a good eight feet tall, with a horrible skull-like face. Its arms ended in massive, three foot long finger bones that looked more like scythes and the clicking and scraping sound she'd been hearing was those bones hitting and trailing over the concrete walls.

They left deep gouges everywhere they made contact.

The thing seemed to be looking right through her, its eyes glowing a feral red as it opened its lipless mouth and let out a guttural screech. Then it picked up speed and began swinging its deadly looking limps out in front of it, reaching out for her.

"Oh no you don't!" she screamed, backpedaling quickly and unleashing the fire that raged within her.

The creature's tattered robes went up in flames, but then just as quickly seemed to regenerate.

"Uh oh!" She redoubled her efforts, raising the temperature in the tunnel enough that the cement began to glow red, yet the creature, aside from shrieking in anger, seemed untouched.

It continued to advance on her and she realized she was in serious trouble; she was also leading it directly back towards Abe!

She backed off on her powers, knowing that she couldn't risk damaging the tunnels and thought furiously about how best to keep it engaged so that she could lead it past the fast-approaching juncture.

Then it vanished.

"Wha?" She looked up and down the tunnel and saw no evidence of the monstrosity, but before she could breath a sigh of relief, the familiar clicking and scraping started up again somewhere behind her...

...In the tunnel that led to Abe!

Cursing, she turned and began running in that direction as she tried to raise him on the headset.

All she got was static.

Forgetting that idea, she put all her energy into quickening her speed and soon saw a soft glow in the tunnel up ahead towards the left. She stopped as she reached the juncture and very slowly and silently peeped around the corner.

Up ahead, in a circular old basement beneath Bellevue Hospital, sat five emaciated men in filthy clothes. All of them seemed to be in a trance and all of them were moaning softly as Abe went slowly from one to the other, checking on their vital signs.

The creature was between her and her partner and fast approaching the strange group. And this time he was silent and stealthy.

"No!" she screamed, breaking into a run and heading straight for the monster. "Abe, look out!"

He looked up just as she was about to tackle the being, flame already engulfing it. But, just then the sitting men suddenly opened their eyes and the creature reacted; swinging a giant hand towards her.

She felt the impact, then nothing...

* * *

She awoke in a panic, calling out his name, frightened to death for him, only to have him take her hand and calm her.

"Shhh, Liz," he said in his low, calm voice. "It's alright. We're both safe now."

Opening her eyes she saw that she was in the familiar surroundings of the medical bay, the soft lights illuminating the wall behind her cot. Abe was sitting beside her on the bed, his eyes reflecting the low lights of the room.

"What happened?" she asked. "I remember being hit and then nothing..."

He smiled. "You saved my life, Sparky. Unfortunately you were sent head first into the cement wall, but it could have been much, much worse." His expression became troubled. "If you hadn't been backhanded and those claws had truly hit you... we wouldn't be having this conversation."

She blinked as she tried to reconcile her last memories with what he'd just told her. "What was that thing, Abe?"

"You're not going to believe this," he said, shaking his head. "But it was a manifestation created by the focused joint energies of a group conscience."

"What?" She struggled to sit up, but he placed one hand on her shoulder and easily pushed her back down on the bed.

Several of Bellevue's former patients gathered at regular intervals down in that drainage tunnel, Liz. That's who I was tracking while you went after their creation, which turned out to be a boneclaw."

"A what?" She put a hand to her sore head, certain that she must still be suffering the ill effects of the blow.

He laughed. "No, you're no crazier than I," he breathed. "A boneclaw is a monster from a famous role playing game. The story is that those men returned to the clinic once a week as outpatients and each was receiving an experimental anti-psychotic drug."

"Now here's where several things go wrong; they were all expert 'gamers', they'd all been in Bellevue at the same time, where they formed a strong alliance based on their common pastime, they all arranged to be seen at the clinic the same time each week and they all therefore happened to be offered the same experimental drugs."

Liz groaned. "Are you trying to tell me that they conjured that creature by getting together and thinking about it?"

Abe gave her a satisfied smile. "In a nutshell, yes."

"But why? And why would they hide out in that filthy place?"

"They did it because they discovered that they could, Liz and where better to hide so that their newfound ability did not attract attention? It would seem that they generated or attempted to generate a different creature each time they met, which would always be after their last clinic visit, when they would overdose on their newly refilled prescriptions." He sighed. "They had just worked their way up to some of the more deadly creatures, once of which completely escaped their control; the boneclaw. It killed the nurse and dragged her body bellow. Meanwhile, our five gamers remained locked in a mutual trance, their drug levels too high to allow them to break free."

"So, I take it that you were able to wake them, thus ending the monster's reign of terror?"

"Yeah, something like that." He stood up and ruffled her hair. "It's late and I must sleep. I didn't want to leave until I knew you were alright and I had a chance to explain things to you."

She smiled and squeezed his hand. "Thanks, Abe."

He winked and then walked out the door, closing it softly behind him.

Liz sighed and then fell back into a peaceful, normal slumber. When she awoke several hours later the main thing on her mind was the fact that her supposed boyfriend had yet to visit her.

Shortly after ten in the morning, one of the staff physicians discharged her. It was as she was making her way back to her quarters that she came upon Hellboy, who was headed out of his quarters and in the opposite direction.

"Red!" she yelled, instantly gaining his attention.

He stopped and looked supremely uncomfortable as he waited for her to catch up to him.

"Hey; look at you! They already let you out of the med bay!" he exclaimed with a false sense of cheerfulness that she saw right through.

"Why didn't you come to see me?" she asked in a small voice, more wounded than she ever would have thought. "Why did I awaken to find Abe keeping watch over me and not you?"

Hellboy sighed. "Well, seeing as he was so frightened for you that he plucked up one of those zoned out geeks by the arm and threw him a good twenty feet so that he collided with that Boneclaw, I figured that he earned the right to keep watch."

"He did what?" she asked, her mouth gaping open.

"Blue couldn't wake those gamers and you were lying in a heap at the Boneclaw's feet. He said he was so scared that you were about to be sliced and diced that he didn't even think; he just reacted." Red sighed. "Man, I wish I coulda seen that! We all know Blue is pretty strong, but still... twenty feet!"

"What happened then?" she asked.

The dweeb collided with the boneclaw and gained its instant, undivided attention. The monster hacked him apart and then went after the others."

"My God!" She thought she would be sick.

"Don't worry; with one of them dead, the boneclaw became insubstantial enough to inflict only minor damage on the others. They finally came around, their monster instantly vanished and in the meantime, Abe had already gotten you out of harm's way."

She swallowed hard and then searched Red's face. "Abe left hours and hours ago, Red. Why didn't you come check on me then?"

"I kept up with your status," he replied, then sighed loudly. "Look, Liz... I care for you too much to see you everyday and interact with you every day knowing that in the end you're gonna dump me."

"Now wait a minute..." she started to say, but he held up a hand, stopping her.

"Don't say anything if there's a chance that it won't turn out to be true," he growled. "I've seen this coming for a while now. I shoulda let you have a fling with Abe before I made a play for you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, growing angry.

"It means that you are the most neurotic, insecure and screwed up woman I've ever met. You're never happy with any decision you make, even the romantic ones. If I had left well enough alone, you would have shacked up with Blue until you got bored and then decided he wasn't the right guy for you. Now, instead, I'm the one who's getting shit-canned."

He began to truly grow angry, his eyes glowing a feral yellow under his heavy brow ridges. "I honor my commitments, Liz! I love you and I'd never cheat on you, not even with Kate, but now I gotta protect myself and give you space so you can make your decision. I only hope that this time, for all our sakes, you make one that you can live with."

"I would never have shacked up with Blue and then thrown him over for you!" she yelled in protest, wanting to hurt him for having hurt her. "I've never second-guessed anything about him." As she said it she felt a stab of guilt tear through her.

Hellboy threw back his head and roared with laughter. "Is zat so? Seems to me that you second guessed something about him alright... and that's what landed you in my bed! Poor, poor Blue; that musta really hurt!"

He wheeled around and stalked down the corridor, still laughing as she stood stock still, feeling miserable beyond belief.

* * *

Abe stood in the grass at the center of the track and watched Miriam as she headed into the final lap of her mandatory five-mile run. A glance down at his stopwatch showed that she would make the required time with plenty to spare.

Dr. Nagata had finally received the last of his test results on Miriam and completed her full assessment, confirming what he'd already known; Miriam could heal from even the most severe of injuries and she did so very quickly. Both Nagata and Kate had concurred that only an instantly fatal wound to the head would actually kill her; she could come back from nearly anything else.

And that confirmed her status as a new BPRD operative.

Looking back up, he watched as she crossed the final line and then slowed to a jog, clutching her side and breathing hard.

"Not bad for a newbie," he called out, hurrying towards her.

"Yeah…" she panted, giving him a sour look. "But, you can probably swim faster than I can jog!"

He chuckled. "Is that a challenge?"

She laughed as well and held both hands up, "No way, boss!"

Abe suddenly felt Liz's psychic presence and glanced down at his wristwatch to note that they'd spent more time at the track than he'd intended. It was nearly four in the afternoon, Liz's usual time to get in a workout. It seemed that this time she was going to be able to squeeze it in.

His stomach twisted as he was again reminded that he hadn't seen her in a week, their schedules and lack of assignments keeping them oddly separated. He knew she was struggling with her personal life and her inner doubts again, but as badly as he wanted to see her, he didn't relish the thought of running into her when he had Miriam with him.

Still, he knew it was too late to avoid such a thing. He'd just have to make the best of it and hope that it didn't cause Liz to withdraw even further.

"Well, I think I've put you through enough of an ordeal," he told his trainee. "Why don't you go on ahead and hit the showers? I'll come and collect you after dinner."

"After dinner? What are we doing then?" she asked, looking startled.

"Swimming," he replied, drawing out the word.

"Great..." She gave him a final nod and headed off.

He spent several minutes picking up the equipment he'd brought out before slowly moving towards the field's entrance gate.

As he'd planned, Liz arrived before he reached them.

"Oh, hi there, Abe," she greeted. "I just ran into Miriam and she said you were putting her through the wringer. How's she doing?"

He stood there awkwardly, holding the equipment. "She's doing as well as can be expected, but we'll get her up to operative standards soon enough." As was usual when greeting her, he felt the old, familiar, deep-seated thrill that made his heart skip. At the moment it was worse given the fact that he hadn't seen her in so long. "How are you, Liz?" he asked. "It's been quite a while since I had a chance to spend any time with you."

He winced inwardly as he realized that had sounded like an accusation.

She smiled shyly. "Sorry, Blue. It seems almost as though fate is conspiring against us as far as our schedules go. When I seem to have some spare time, something always crops up before I can track you down." She paused, as though uncertain she should continue, but she did. "I've missed you."

He smiled. "And I you."

Liz gave off a sudden feeling of agitation and then spoke again. "Abe… there's something I need to talk to you about…"

He shook his head, not willing to have his good mood at seeing her shattered by what he seemed to sense was bad news. "Now is not a good time, Liz," he replied, shaking the equipment in his arms to remind her that he was somewhat burdened. "Unless it has to do with the BPRD, it'll have to wait."

"Oh…" she replied, in a dull tone. "OK."

He turned to walk away, but not before the look on her face had him instantly regretting his decision. Muttering, "damn" under his breath, he vowed to track her down at dinner time and make it up to her.

* * *

As it turned out, he didn't see Liz at dinner, nor in the usual places she went to be alone and he certainly knew them all.

Turning his mind back to his work, he assessed Miriam's swimming skills and was pleased to note that she was a strong swimmer. He was seated on a bench alongside the Olympic sized lap pool, watching her complete the endurance test, when he looked up to see Manning enter the facility. He didn't need to be psychic to know that something very troubling was afoot.

"How's she doing?" the director asked, taking a seat next to him.

"She's at half a mile already," he answered. "She's a very strong swimmer. It'll be good to have that kind of back-up."

Manning nodded. "You talk to Sherman recently?"

He shook his head. "She approached me, but I wasn't up for a conversation at the time," he confessed.

"Well, I wish you'd talk with her, Fish Stick, so that we can get this over with."

He stared at his boss. "Get what over with?"

"Hey, you're the psychic," Manning spat, then made an effort to control himself. "This whole love triangle thing is wreaking havoc with my operatives," he said. "Hellboy is a mess, Kate's distracted, not to mention that Liz is crashing on us again. Last thing we need is an accident of some sort owing to someone's inattention or worse yet; a Sherman fire!"

Abe blinked rapidly as the director's words sank in. "Love triangle?"

Manning stood up and pulled out a fresh cigar, which he unwrapped and began chomping on. "Look, you might not look all that human, but even I know that there's a man hidden in there somewhere..." He looked Abe up and down. "Never mind; you figure it out." He began striding for the door. "Just do so sooner rather than later, will you!" he called back over his shoulder.

Abe mulled over the director's words, his anxiety slowly growing, and then turned to see Miriam leaning on the side of the pool and watching him intently.

"I knew it," she said. "I've heard the stories about how operative Sherman chose Hellboy over you and lately I could tell by the way she's been looking at me that she's jealous."

"Jealous?" He feigned ignorance.

"You know very well that she is," Miriam reprimanded him and then continued, "Rumor has it that she and Red are having problems; she's rethinking their relationship. He removed all her things from his quarters while she was in the medical bay and put them in her room."

"How is it that I haven't heard any of these rumors?" he asked, annoyed.

"You're involved! Of course no one is going to bring it up around you! And let's face it; it seems likely that the rumors are true. What else would throw all three operatives into such a tizzy?"

Shocked and embarrassed that he'd been that oblivious, Abe walked to the bench, sat down and crossed his legs, leaning his chin on one propped up hand. Once again it seemed that he'd been blissfully unaware that big changes were afoot. "I should have picked up on all this. Why didn't I?" he mused aloud.

"You must have picked up on something," Meyeul stated. "Or you wouldn't be using me as a catalyst to help goad Liz into rethinking her decision."

"No," he protested, wagging one long, webbed finger. "She's the one who jumped to the wrong conclusion concerning my working relationship with you. I haven't used you in any way, nor am I trying to provoke her."

"Maybe not, but you certainly aren't bothering to set her straight, either!" Meyeul pointed out.

Abe actually snorted. "I seem to have a habit of doing that where Liz is concerned," he bit out, annoyed by the fact that she was completely correct in her assessment of him.

Meyeul hauled herself out of the pool and he rose to his feet as she approached. "Look," she said, gazing up at him. "I know it isn't my business, but if you love her, then you'd be a fool to push her too far. Talk with her, sir, so that everyone involved can eventually move forward and perhaps find peace."

He looked at her intently, his dual set of eyelids blinking slowly as he thought through the possibilities. "You've done well today, agent," he finally said. "Why don't you go get cleaned up and take tomorrow off?"

"Thanks, sir." She turned to go.

He spoke again before she reached the door. "You're very perceptive, Meyeul. I have every confidence that you'll make an excellent operative in your own right."

She nodded her head, a huge smile splitting her face and then she was gone.

* * *

Liz lifted her head off her raised knees when she heard the library door open. Pushing herself even further back into the shadows of the stack she was hiding in, she held her breath and listened, trying to determine who had entered.

If there was one place in the complex she really shouldn't be, it was here; books and fire did not mix. Yet, she'd wanted some privacy and had therefore chosen the one place she knew the others wouldn't think to search for her.

She also knew Abe spent a lot of time here and knowing that, this place made her feel less lonely.

Letting her breath out slowly, she took another shallow one. She didn't hear any footsteps at all and even with the thick carpeting in this place she should have heard something...

She jumped violently when Abe suddenly appeared, silhouetted at the end of the stack.

"There you are!" he said by way of greeting. He had his gloves off and had obviously tracked her down telepathically.

She crossed her arms over her upraised knees and dropped her chin down atop them, her eyes fixed on the floor in front of her feet.

He moved silently up the aisle and had a seat on the floor beside her. Silently the minutes ticked by until he sighed and put an arm around her shoulders. "Talk to me," he said in a quiet tone.

She sighed as well, nervous and uncertain of where to begin.

His arm tightened briefly. "It's just me. You know you can tell me anything."

She nodded. "I know, but that doesn't make this easy for me. I'm so afraid of how you may react."

He laughed. "Hey; you're the one with the pyrokenetic abilities!" Then he leaned out and caught her eye. "Liz... just tell me what you feel you need to."

She took a deep breath, still hunched over, her eyes still on the carpet. "What if I told you that I thought I made the wrong decision when I chose Hellboy over you?"

Abe quickly looked away, as though hiding his expression from her, but then turned to meet her eyes once more. Reaching out, he lifted her chin with his fingers, briefly stroking her skin as she finally met his gaze. "I would remind you that you did make your decision and that your first loyalty is now to Hellboy. You owe it to him not to break his heart unless you are absolutely certain that he isn't the right man for you." He dropped his hand.

"What about you?" she asked.

"What about me?" he countered.

Damn; he wasn't really helping her out here... "Would you be able to forgive me? Would you consider giving me another chance?" she asked, nervously wringing her hands.

He grasped her hands, covering them with his own to still them. "Liz; I forgave you long ago. I care about you too much to ever hold any grudges where you are concerned. As to the rest; this has nothing at all to do with me. Either you're with the right man or you aren't. That is the only thing you need to address right now."

She leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling miserable even though he rubbed her back.

"Liz?" he said softly.

"Yeah?"

"There is nothing between me and Miriam," he confessed.

She sighed and relaxed against him. "Thanks, Abe."

"And if by some chance you again find yourself single... I would certainly wish to pick up where we left off, provided that this time you are willing to accept me as I am."

He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arm around her as she wound her arms about him and leaned gratefully against his shoulder.

It was a long time before either of them moved from that spot.

* * *

The following morning Liz slept in, having finally gotten a decent night's sleep. As she lay half awake, contemplating whether or not to try to go back to sleep, she remembered Abe's gentle touch in the library the night before. As was his way, he'd been both kind and caring, offering her his support while refusing to pry, preach or place blame.

It had reminded her once again why she loved him so much, why she couldn't get him out of her thoughts.

She mused that Blue and Red were almost polar opposites. While Red was a tough talking, tough acting man's man, in a manner of speaking, Abe exuded an air of quiet control, his gentle nature masking just how dangerous he really could be. They were both alphas, but although Blue was a perfect match for her in nearly every way, in the end she'd chosen Red…

Blinking, she reached over and hit the switch that would slowly raise the light level in the room, simulating the rising sun in a place that was wholly artificial. Then she made herself get up and go get her shower.

Thirty minutes later, clean and dressed, with her hair neat and glossy, she made her way to the lower level cafeteria. She would rather be upstairs, but in the end thought that maybe this would increase her chances of having Abe join her.

No such luck. In fact, twenty minutes later she was getting ready to leave when she looked up to see Kate come out of the serving line. The woman looked directly at her.

"Great…" she breathed, slouching down in her seat and burying her face in a book she'd brought along.

"Liz, can I join you?"

She looked up to see Kate standing over her. "Sure," she chirped, sitting up and putting the book aside. "I didn't know you were back. When did you get in?"

"Last night," Kate said flatly and then gave her a measuring look. "Liz, you know I'm a pretty straight-forward kind of person, so I hope you don't mind me bringing this up, but we really should talk about what's going on."

"Going on?" she asked.

Kate rolled her eyes. "You know very well what I'm talking about; you and Abe, me and Red."

"Oh… that," she breathed. "What is there to talk about, really? I have a decision to make and until I do, and unless it's the decision you want, then you can't move forward with Red. There's nothing you can tell me that will make me speed up the process."

The other woman frowned. "Listen; you started this whole thing, not me. I would never even consider Red unless he was available, but now I find that may come to pass and like you, I made a decision I've regretted ever since. How can you expect me not to suddenly have hope?"

"Yeah, OK, I can understand that," Liz admitted. "But you need to patient, Kate. Don't push me."

"Understood, but let's talk it through and see if we can do this with the minimum amount of damage."

"Minimum amount of damage?" Liz repeated, growing angry. "You really are way too analytical for your own good, Kate. "

The doctor ignored her, pursuing her subject with the single-mindedness she was known for. "Look Liz, you were and still are in love with Abe, yet you suddenly broke it off with him and took up with Red instead. It's obvious that something happened between you and Blue and you've been regretting your decision ever since."

"I don't regret loving Hellboy," she protested.

"No. I know you don't, but anyone can see that your heart really belongs to Abe… and his to you. We all see it every time you two set eyes on each other." She placed a hand on Liz's shoulder. "Liz, please tell me why you suddenly ran from him."

She crossed her arms and remained silent, unwilling to delve into this particular subject with the blond woman,

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Was it because of what Hellboy told you he saw when he first met and rescued Abe from the research wing?"

She gasped and stared at Kate in absolute shock. "He told you about that?"

Kate nodded. "It's bothered him ever since and for good reason; he knows that he may have influenced you into making the wrong choice. By-the-way; you should know that I told him that it was a pretty cheap shot at a guy he professes is his best friend." She leaned forward and whispered, "Red did influence your decision, didn't he?"

Liz hung her head, overcome with guilt. "When Red told me that Abe didn't have… that he was pretty much sexless, I confronted Abe." She took a deep breath. "Kate, please don't think me shallow, but I just couldn't picture myself being happy in a relationship with a guy whose sex life was radically different from the norm."

Kate shook her head. "Couples all over the world manage to fulfill each other without actually copulating, Liz," she sighed and then added. "Well, at least you confronted him so that he knew why you rejected him. What happened?"

"When I told him what Red said he'd seen, Abe first turned pale, but then he darkened in a frightening manner. He looked like he was actually going to lose his temper..." She had to stop and swallow hard as she remembered the merman's pained reaction. "Then he somehow managed to calm himself and told me simply that Red hadn't lied."

Kate winced. "And then what?"

"I told him what I just told you and then he turned his back to me and replied, "I guess that's it then. You'd better go." Liz wiped away a tear. "I should have begged his forgiveness and told him I was an idiot right then. I almost did, you know, but that nagging voice at the back of my head kept whispering that I shouldn't just settle. I've hated myself for listening to it ever since."

"And with more reason than you might know," Kate breathed.

Liz felt a jolt of alarm at her words. "What do you mean?"

"Did it ever occur to you that he might in fact be put together more like an aquatic mammal?"

"Huh?"

Kate sighed. "Dolphins and whales, Liz; you've never seen any external genitalia on them, yet it turns out that the males are actually pretty well endowed."

The light finally went on in her head. "Oh my God… His organs are internal!" Then just as suddenly, she found herself discounting the possibility. If Kate were right, then it meant she'd thrown away her best chance of happiness with the man she adored. "Wait, Kate!" she exclaimed. "Abe never denied anything!"

"You really are out of touch, you know that?" Kate sniffed. "You pretty much told him that you didn't love him enough to accept him as he was. Not only that; you completely insulted his manhood, maleness… whatever. He's a guy! Do you think he's going to just take something like that and then kiss your ass? He may have the best disposition of any male we've ever met, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have some pride!"

Liz hung her head. "I'm such a dunce!" she hissed.

"Well, you are if you don't get your facts straight this time," Kate replied. "Abe adores you, Liz. Why don't you ask him for access to his medical files? I'll bet that he gives you permission, no questions asked; he'll know why you're asking."

She looked Kate in the eye. "I talked to him last night and he said something that is very true; I need to keep him out of this and make a decision about myself and Hellboy first. It all comes down to us and whether or not it's right, Kate. Until that's been decided, neither Abe, nor you can enter the picture." She sighed and sat back in her chair. "As to the records… they aren't really necessary. This time, if it comes down to it and I have a chance to be with him… I really couldn't care less how he's put together."

The blond scientist smiled. "I understand completely."

"Thank-you, Kate. You really have helped me out," Liz said with a smile as she rose from her seat.

* * *

Only two days later, Liz came to a decision. When she'd heard second hand at a briefing with Manning that Red and Kate were leaving on a long assignment and that he'd never even bothered to tell her; well that pretty much led her to realize that it was over. It was one thing to back off and give someone space and quite another to avoid them to the point of showing that you really didn't care. That was the thing; she always felt like Red didn't really care. Once she met his needs, whether it was attention, sex or something else, she was pretty much forgotten.

She made certain that she was waiting for him when he arrived at the helicopter pad.

As he stepped out on the tarmac and saw her, he must have known that he had no way to avoid a confrontation. Adding to the atmosphere was the fact that Kate was walking with him and she likewise hadn't bothered talking to Liz about the assignment.

"Um, I'll wait on the chopper," Kate breathed before making a beeline for the vehicle.

"Hi Liz," Red greeted her, looking for all the world like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"It's been weeks Red," she said, sighing sadly. "You didn't visit when I was hurt. You dumped all my belongings in my quarters, you've avoided me at every turn and you didn't even bother to tell me that you'll be leaving for several weeks on assignment to Japan with Kate." She sighed and fought against the tears of hurt that prickled her eyes. "You didn't care enough to even come to say good-bye… so I'm saying it for you; good-bye, Red. I'll always love you, but you just aren't my white knight, you know?"

Before he could reply, she turned and headed for the stairs.

She heard him smash the tarmac concrete with his right hand just before she hit the top step, but she still didn't look back.

* * *

Later that same day Abe, Liz and Miriam were called to a high level meeting in which strange happenings in the Yucatan Peninsula were discussed. It was quickly decided after additional pressure from the Mexican government that they should be deployed to investigate and deal with the problem.

The locale was a resort town and as such responsible for pulling in millions of U.S. dollars and the fact that it was now all but deserted made it a top priority for that government.

Abe had to admit to himself that there was never anything as good as an assignment to a resort town… A little work mixed in with the chance at some relaxation was never something they turned down. Plus, it wasn't as though he would ever get the chance to enjoy such surroundings if they weren't deserted…

"Well, this is it," Abe commented to Miriam, as they all boarded a BPRD jet. "You're not nervous, are you?"

Meyeul shrugged. She'd been assigned to join them as a fellow operative, albeit in training. "Not really, although I'm certain that will change as we approach our destination."

Behind him, Liz chimed in, "Hey; it's a resort in the Yucatan. What's to be nervous about? I'd rather be going there than, say, Canada right now."

"Hmm. Good point." Miriam replied. "By the way, Blue, you hear about the damage to the helicopter tarmac?"

He turned in time to see Liz cringe and felt a wave of sadness from her. "No. What happened?" he asked, then addressed Liz directly. "Liz?"

"Red and I are through," she sighed, before pushing past him and heading for her customary seat.

He followed close behind, taking his usual seat beside hers. To his relief, Miriam chose the row behind them rather than the one facing them.

"I'm going to take a nap," Miriam announced. "Wake me when we get there."

"Now I know you've been pushing her too hard, Abe," Liz whispered, apparently trying to change the subject. "Miriam told me once that she never takes naps."

To his own surprise and hers, he put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. It was rare for him to be demonstrative in public. "Doesn't sound like Red took it very well," he sighed.

She nodded her head, her eyes tearing up.

He leaned in close, his nose nearly touching hers. "I'm sorry, Liz. I know this is very difficult for you."

She nodded, wiping her eyes as he sat up straight again.

"If there's anything I can do, please let me know." He felt a thrill of excitement from her as he said it and that was enough to make him forget the worries of the upcoming mission.

"I will," she answered quietly.

Normally they would have spent most of the flight discussing the mission and making their plans for the preliminary investigation. This time they merely relaxed and enjoyed the flight… and the company.

**Next Time: Love is a Battlefield**


	3. Part 3

**Disclaimer: **Abe Sapien, Hellboy, Liz Sherman and all characters therein are the property of and Dark Horse Comics Group and the Warner Brothers Entertainment Company. 

**Author's notes: **In this story, Abe is more in line with his comic/animated persona, being a highly skilled and the most trusted of all BPRD operatives as well as more human in his interpersonal relationships. He is also able to breathe out of water for extended periods of time so long as his gills do not dry out, but retains some particulars from the movie version such as psychic ability. The BPRD is set up as in the movie version. **P****rofiteor: Latin **_to declare oneself._

* * *

**Profiteor 3: Brave New World **

They landed at the main airport in Merida, Mexico five hours later.

Liz and Miriam plastered themselves against their respective windows and took in the scenery as the jet was towed to a private hanger where they would transfer to a private limo.

It was only as the hanger loomed ahead that Abe exited the jet's rear room and made his way back to his seat beside her. One glance at him and Liz had to remind herself not to stare.

He'd changed out of his pants and utility vest and was now wearing his form-fitting mid-thigh length scuba pants and top along with rubber sandals and fingerless gloves. His utility belt sat low on his slim hips and he'd thrown on a baseball cap. His small overnight bag was slung under one arm, rolled up diagrams of the resort and surrounding Yucatan area sticking out of the side pockets.

The mellow glow of the sinking sun shone full on him through the small jet windows and made his skin glisten, showing off the lines of his musculature, even beneath the swim wear.

"You should have waited until we were in the hanger. You're missing the scenery," she somehow managed to comment in a normal voice.

Smiling secretively, he took his seat. "We'll see the countryside together from the limo," he said quietly.

She nodded. "What's so amusing?"

"You," he chuckled. "You certainly know how to stroke a guy's ego."

She frowned as a blush colored her face. "Yeah… well I also seem to be pretty good when it comes to destroying a guy's ego," she grumbled.

"Hey," he said, leaning over and trapping her with those huge, reflective eyes. "It's forgotten. Everyone makes mistakes, Liz. The important thing is that we learn from them."

"Yeah," she sighed, relaxing. Then she patted his hand, where it sat upon the armrest between them. "I don't deserve you…"

"Yes you do!" he quickly corrected her, making her laugh.

* * *

The ride to Lost Seal Resort was uneventful and relaxing.

Abe found himself impressed by the beauty of the area they traveled through, wistfully wishing that he had the option of just getting away whenever he wished. Still, he was here now and as luck would have it Liz was both with him and unattached. It was enough and he knew he should count himself fortunate rather than wishing for more.

After all, that way lay madness… and the potential for bitter disappointment.

Thirty minutes later they pulled in through the Resort gates. Their first look at the place was an eye-opener; it was almost unbearably beautiful.

"Eden," he commented, wide-eyed as stopped in front of the main building.

Liz and Miriam nodded agreement, still gaping at the lush foliage and flowering tropical plants as the last of the sun's rays glimmering on the gulf just beyond the palm trees.

The limo driver got out and as he opened their door, the sounds of birds and low tropical music accompanied by the heady smells of food and blossoms assailed their senses.

Abe exited first, helped Miriam out and then offered his hand to Liz. He held on a bit longer than was necessary after she gained her feet and had the satisfaction of feeling her give his fingers a quick squeeze before he released her.

They turned to face the building as two men and a woman, all in suits stepped out to greet them.

The man leading the way shook Abe's hand. "Hola! I am David Munoz Casañas, the general manager of Recurso Foca Perdido," he announced as he greeted them, warmly taking both Liz and Miriam's hands in turn. He was a tall, thickset man with gray hair and appeared to be in his late forties. "Please allow me to introduce our evening manager, Maria Pena Vargas and our daytime manager, Ricardo Ruiz Castillo.

Pena Vargas was a tall, slender woman with long dark hair twisted up and pinned on her head while Ruiz Castillo had light brown hair and was of medium height and build. The two of them appeared to be in their mid thirties and each in turn greeted their guests with a handshake and words of welcome.

Abe introduced himself, Liz and Miriam.

Once all the introductions were finished, Munoz Casañas gestured towards the doors. "Please accompany me inside," he said. "We've no guests at this time other than yourselves. After the last disappearance yesterday we just couldn't risk it." He smiled, but it was a pained expression. "You may be the only guests, but we remain on minimum staffing and we can see to all your needs. In fact, we have a wonderful buffet laid out in the restaurant. I hope you're all hungry?"

"Who wouldn't be after smelling the food?" Liz commented. Abe and Miriam nodded in agreement.

Pena Vargas beamed at them. "Our chef is the best in the Yucatan, as you'll see for yourselves. We, the staff I mean, are all very happy that he agreed to stay during this emergency."

They passed through a beautiful, marble lobby where the woman at the desk watched them with interest. Abe could feel both her curiosity and fear when she looked him over. No doubt, the remaining staff would find him just as strange.

Taking a right turn at the desk, they then entered the main restaurant through large French doors.

The restaurant's rear wall was made up entirely of French doors, all of which stood open revealing a slate floored outdoor dining area beyond. Just before the doors a large buffet was set. The chef stood just behind it ready to instantly cook up anything else they might want.

One look at the spread and Abe was hard pressed to think of anything else he might want. The layout was impressive and included everything from vegetable dishes and sides to freshly steamed or broiled seafood. The chef was currently finishing some tropical kabobs on the indoor grill.

"Please, help yourselves and then select a table on the patio." Munoz Casañas gestured for them to line up in front of the staff.

Abe immediately went for the steamed fish and broiled shrimp and scallops, then added some green vegetables and fried plantain to his dish. He waited as Liz and Miriam completed their own selections and then the three of them headed outside.

He made for a table at the edge of the patio on the right, where they could enjoy the view of the tiki torch lit gardens and the gulf waters beyond. He took the seat facing directly away from the building, knowing that his keen eyesight would allow him to spot anything unusual in the foliage long before any of his companions did.

Liz took the seat directly to his left at the large, circular table while Miriam likewise sat on her left. That put Miriam in the hot seat; the most vulnerable location with her back to the grounds. She was the perfect agent to sit there and if she'd intentionally chosen the position, then she was going to turn out even better than he'd imagined.

The resort managers soon appeared and sat on his right, leaving a seat unoccupied between them.

"Who is Key MacKalin?" he asked. He'd pronounced the name phonetically, which was how he sometimes picked up such things from other peoples' minds. Yet, when the general manager spoke he instantly knew the correct spelling, no doubt due to all the times the man saw the name on paper.

Rather than flinching in surprise as the other managers had, the general manager smiled and nodded. "You are very good, as my government said you would be," he replied. "I told the staff to say nothing and yet you still know who is to join us."

Abe nodded and at Liz's questioning look offered a bit more information. "His name has been floating through the thoughts of every staff member in the area," he said. "Especially the women."

Munoz Casañas sighed as both his managers rolled their eyes. "I am not surprised. In answer to your question, Cè MacCallen is the owner of Recurso Foca Perdido. He is a Scotsman who inherited money and traveled to this area as a young man ten years ago. Soon after, having fallen in love with this place, he purchased it and turned it into the exclusive and well-respected money maker it now is."

"He's a good man," Pena Vargas added, "But very disruptive to both staff and guests, which is why he rarely makes an appearance in public."

"You're not telling me that you're immune to his charms?" Abe asked, implying that he knew better.

"Perhaps not," she answered honestly. "However, I am very happily married and so I am able to shrug off this strange magnetism he exudes."

"Don't get us wrong, Agent Sapien," Ruiz Castillo added. "He does not intentionally cause trouble; he is, after all, a shrewd businessman. In fact, he goes out of his way to avoid causing a disturbance. It is only that there is something about him that draws the ladies, so, even though he lives here, he keeps his public visits to the dead of night or during off seasons whenever possible."

"He also has a medical condition that prevents him from being in the sunlight," Munoz Casañas added. "Which is why he insisted I apologize for him not having greeted you on your arrival. He should be here shortly." Then the man leaned forward. "I think that you will find you two have a few things in common," he laughed.

"Well, certainly not the ability to draw woman," Abe joked, making them all laugh; all except Liz, who looked down at her plate. He immediately picked up on the fact that she disagreed strongly with his assessment of himself.

Just then the waiters arrived to fill their water and wine glasses. Feeling a bit like celebrating, he actually indulged in a small amount of Vinho Verde, a light, young white wine he'd discovered he could tolerate, enjoying it immensely with his meal.

They all chatted about inconsequential matters as they ate and were nearly through with the meal when Abe felt a disturbance ripple through the main building.

"You're man is here, I think," he announced, knowing very well that he was correct. The sudden feminine yearnings he was deluged with could mean that no other person but the owner had arrived.

He kept his back to the building but saw Liz crane her head around along with everyone else.

"Ah, you are correct," the general manager said. "He is collecting his meal." He then quickly turned his attention to the female B.P.R.D. agents, apparently keen on observing if they too would be affected by MacCallen.

It was then that Abe noticed the discrepancy. "How very odd," he whispered to Liz under his breath. "I cannot pick up anything at all from the approaching owner."

She looked startled and then did a double take as the man reached the table.

From Miriam, Abe picked up a very startled, almost painful reaction to the man's beauty. Liz reacted as well, but not nearly as strongly. From her he felt appreciation for the man's looks coupled with curiosity; nothing more.

He stood, along with the other men and finally looked at the man named Cè MacCallen.

The resort's owner appeared to be in his early thirties, but he had a timelessness about him that made all guesses as to his actual age difficult at best. His skin was as pale as any he'd ever seen and perfect; not a freckle nor blemish of any sort marred it. The man's hair was glossy and black as night, his nose large, but well shaped and his jaw strong. His eyes, though, were his most striking feature. They were very large, dark and expressive. The long black lashes that framed them made them look that much larger. Abe could see everyone at the table reflected in their depths, himself first and foremost.

Those eyes seemed to drink in light and they gave the impression that they missed nothing. They were currently looking him over in an appraising manner. Indeed, he picked up a stray thought from Liz; she could feel the tension as the two men sized each other up.

And although MacCallen stood perhaps an inch or two shorter than himself, he was well muscled; two hundred ten pounds at least. Then the man smiled warmly, revealing white, flawless teeth and held out his hand.

"Agent Sapien," he greeted him with a mild Scottish brogue. "It is an honor to meet you, sir!"

As Abe moved to take the man's hand, he received quite a shock; MacCallen's fingers were webbed like his own. Hesitating only a fraction of a second he took the man's hand and squeezed it as they shook, expecting to finally pick up something concrete about him. Instead, he received only flashes of the ocean and the beach.

"Likewise, Mr. MacCallen," he responded. "I must admit that I find you to be as interesting as I daresay you find me. Tell me; do you think we may be related?"

The man's grin grew larger. "All things are possible; I believe it as surely as those in your Bureau do... and please, call me Cè."

Their hands parted and Abe indicated Liz. "Please allow me to introduce Agent Elizabeth Sherman."

Cè took her hand and kissed it gallantly. "A pleasure," he greeted her. "You and your senior agent make a wonderful couple. Believe me; I can see these things."

Both Liz and Abe reacted visibly to the man's blatant revelation of his psychic abilities. There was no other way he could have known of their budding relationship.

"Can you read me as well?" Abe asked the man as Liz quickly pulled her hand away.

Those large eyes fairly sparkled as he looked back at Abe. "Not at all, sir and I trust that you cannot read me either."

"What leads you to guess such a thing?"

"It has been my experience that two psychics can either read each other or neither can. Do not ask me why it should be so. I only know what I have seen and I cannot read you, therefore I guessed that you had the talent as well."

Abe pulled off one of his gloves and held up his hand for the man's inspection. "It is not all we seem to share," he replied.

"Aye." Cè nodded with interest. "I think that perhaps you and I must take the time to discuss this once the emergency is over." He turned to look at Miriam then and did a double take. "And who do we have here?" he asked, moving around Liz's chair towards the other female agent. As he did so, he stumbled, but recovered quickly and bowed to her.

Abe picked up startled thoughts from the three managers. They had never seen the graceful owner in a clumsy moment before. He filed it away for future reference but then noted something which unsettled him greatly; Miriam and Cè were practically consuming each other with their eyes. He could clearly read the night manager, Pena Vargas, as she noted that she'd never seen the owner so taken with a woman before.

He quickly moved forward. "This is Agent Miriam Meyeul, the newest member of our team," he introduced her.

"Miriam," the pale man breathed, kissing the back of her hand. "Your name translates in Hebrew as _Sea of Bitterness _and I can see that so far it has been so for you, but I think that is all about to change..."

"How so?" she asked, her eyes never leaving his.

"Because you have found me," he whispered, only just loud enough for her ears.

...But Abe picked it up second hand from his junior agent's mind and it alarmed him enough that he broke up their little tête-à-tête by addressing the owner, "It has been a very long day for us already and we've much yet to accomplish."

Cè straightened immediately, gently releasing Miriam's hand. "Yes, of course," he said, clearing his throat. "Please forgive my lateness in greeting you and holding up your meals. Please, eat! Enjoy it fully, but leave room for dessert. You won't want to miss the crème brûlée!" He walked around the table and took the remaining seat.

As they began eating, Abe asked how it was that a Scotsman found himself a permanent resident of the Yucatan.

Cè explained that he'd married young; to a woman he adored who was the sole heiress of her family's fortune. Her entire family had perished in a helicopter crash when she was a young girl, she having escaped their fate because she'd been home ill with the influenza. She'd died only two years after they'd married; drowned in the sea trying to swim out to him. He'd been devastated, yet rumors had circulated that he'd perhaps killed her for her money, despite that there'd been witnesses to her foolhardy final act.

"So, at the tender age of twenty three, I found myself both a widower and a villain to boot, not to mention quite wealthy," the owner sighed. "I'd always wanted to see something of the world, having lived all my years on the northwest coast of Scotland. Although my native land is beautiful, I found myself fascinated with other places and cultures I saw on the television and I wasted little time in getting away and leaving the rumors behind me. I want no notoriety, yet as you've no doubt already heard, I have a very hard time just blending in. I traveled to several different faraway countries but when I landed here, in the Yucatan, I fell in love with the place. It is so different from home. I love its warmth and the tropical lushness, not to mention the local seafood."

"When I swim in the sea here, I feel at peace. It is home," he finished. "I purchased this resort and I've lived here ever since."

"Why did you name it Lost Seal Resort?" Miriam asked.

Cè looked surprised. "Did ye not know then? There's a gray seal that makes its home here and more lost no sea creature could possibly be, hence the resort's name."

Abe was certainly surprised by the news. "A gray seal? Really? How could it possibly have found its way here and how can it survive in such warm waters?"

MacCallen shrugged. "The current consensus is that it must have escaped from a gulf aquarium or zoo, although none of those we phoned would admit it. Either that or it may once have been someone's pet and been set free. It survives because we feed it, for it cannot find its natural foods here and the fishing is poor due to the warm temperature of the water."

"Where is it?" Liz asked.

"He keeps to the beach and the water," Cè replied. "Sometimes he approaches this patio, looking for handouts, but he's a friendly creature and seems to enjoy swimming with the guests."

"He's under protection from the local authorities as well," Munoz Casañas added. "He's our good luck and I've no doubt that if it weren't for him, many more of our guests may have met unfortunate ends."

"Has the seal saved people then?" Abe asked.

"Aye," the owner answered. "He's been credited with saving quite a few. I'm certain that you've read the reports we sent about our... woes. Once we've finished our meal, we'll adjourn somewhere more private so that we can answer any remaining questions you may have."

Abe nodded and they all went back to eating; only occasionally breaking the silence to ask polite questions of each other. Yet, he still felt uneasy as he noted Cè's unabashed interest in Miriam. Several times he asked her questions about herself and after everyone left the table to fetch their desserts from the buffet, they made a point of sitting beside each other.

"Aren't you going to get any dessert?" Liz asked him, as she returned with a helping of the much touted crème brûlée.

He shook his head. "Watching you enjoy yours is enough for me," he whispered, leaning in close. The truth was that heavy foods or desserts made him quite ill, nor could he tolerate milk products. The meal and wine had been enough for him, but he did indeed get secondhand pleasure out of Liz's obvious enjoyment.

And, God help him, she knew it, too; Liz smiled seductively at him as she slowly slid a mouthful of the creamy dessert off her spoon and then licked it clean. He felt his gills grow hot and knew his color was changing. "You have to stop teasing me like this," he pleaded silently with her, willing her to hear his thoughts.

With a disappointed shrug, she did as he asked and ate the rest of her sweet in a no-nonsense manner that left him disappointed at having made such a request.

* * *

After finishing their dessert and coffee or tea, they were all shown to the main conference room on the opposite side of the main building.

Abe wasted little time in pulling out his files and spreading them upon the table. "We have several of your 'incidents' on file," he began. "What I need from you are more specifics. Was there anything at all that connected those who were killed or went missing? I can see that they were not all the same nationality; what I cannot see is what they did here in the time before they became victims."

"Did any of them frequent the same places?" Liz asked. "Did they engage in the same activities? Anything at all you can think of would be helpful."

"We've already thought long and hard about this," Cè replied. "And there were two things that all the victims had in common; they were all housed in the same set of bungalows, near the northern end of our property and they all liked to swim."

Liz and Miriam both looked right at Abe.

"Well, that makes me the likely decoy then," he said, wryly.

Together the group went over the list of each occurrence looking for more details. Several people had been found dead, smothered either in their bungalows or outside them. A few had been found drowned in the series of ponds which were actually interlinked, deep underwater caverns. The rest were never found, with some having gone missing over a month ago.

Twenty minutes later, they agreed that they'd covered everything that they could think of and the meeting came to an end.

As everyone stood and gathered their things, Cè offered to see Miriam to her bungalow.

Abe paused in his gathering of his files and watched intently as his junior agent considered the request. To his relief he picked up her mental battle as suspicion warred with desire and resulted in indecision. The woman might find the resort owner both fascinating and attractive, but she was smart enough to know his influence on women might be the cause. She was also well aware that in the mystery they were investigating, no one was above suspicion.

"Go on ahead," he finally said, saving her further mental wrestling. "Liz and I have a few minor things to see to anyway.

Cè held out his arm, which she took with a grateful nod towards her fellow agents. "Good night, then," she said as they exited the room.

Liz walked up to stand beside him. "Was that wise?" she asked in a low voice.

"I've no doubt that she'll be safe enough," he replied. "Besides, I was thinking that you might enjoy allowing me to walk you to your accommodations."

She smiled at him in a delightful way and handed him the rest of the papers. "Good idea," she smirked.

Together they bid the others good night and left the building.

* * *

Trusting the resort's owner to at least see Miriam safely to her bungalow, Abe offered Liz his arm, as men had once been gallant enough to do and seemed quite pleased when she took it without hesitation. "Shall we?" he asked.

"Mmmm-hmmm," she replied, and then smiled back at him. His arm was smooth and cool to the touch and she had a hard time resisting the urge to run her fingers over the fin that extended the length of his forearm.

As soon as they were outside and the lush, tropical smells assailed her nose, she sighed. Working or not, she was happy about their growing closeness and even happier that they had the chance to enjoy the pleasure of the resort together. Maybe, just maybe, luck would be on their side and they could solve this mystery quickly, then spend some private time together before the grind of work again took over.

Abe steered her down a paved pathway that led in the direction of the water and she realized that he must have already memorized a layout of the resort.

He blinked down at her, his eyes reflecting the meager light from the tiki torches like a cat's. "I did memorize it," he said. "All three of us have bungalows sharing a semi-private pool. Miriam's is closest to the beach, yours closest to the resort and mine between the two and set close to the surrounding natural area."

"So, they gave you the most dangerous one; the one that the guest, Mr. Jayna disappeared from yesterday?"

"Of course and I wouldn't have it any other way," he smirked. "Ah, here we are!"

She looked ahead to see that they were standing in front of a charming, thatch-roofed bamboo shelter complete with shudders, a front porch and wooden blinds. Tropical foliage had screened it from view until she was right on top of it.

Pulling her electronic card out of a back pocket, she inserted it in the modern door lock and let them both in. "Wow..." she breathed, looking around. The rafters supporting the thatch were high and clearly visible, with long strutted ceiling fans that hung down and moved the cool air. The floor plan open, with tiled floors and tropical rattan furnishings. There was a nice, well-equipped kitchen, a dining area and a living area with a huge projection HD television and stereo. Beautiful rugs, artwork, recessed lighting and knickknacks completed the decor.

"It's lovely," Abe observed, in his usual understated manner. He walked to the sliding glass door in the dining area and checked the locks, then opened it. It opened onto a tiled patio and beyond, less than fifty feet away, was the pool.

Liz joined him in the doorway. "Which way to your place?"

He pointed to the left. "It's right there, partly screened by the brush." Then he pointed to the right. "You can see that Miriam's accommodations are close at hand."

She looked and sure enough, the other agent's bungalow, was nearly as close to the pool as her own. The lights were already on.

"I hope that she's behaving herself around Cè," she muttered. "There's something very strange about him; almost as though he's been charmed to attract women."

Abe nodded in agreement, but then gave her a measuring look as he stepped closer. "You didn't seem to be very affected."

She turned towards him, suddenly realizing just how close he was. "That's because I don't find him nearly as attractive as I find you," she breathed, her heart hammering in her chest.

Then his hands were gripping her upper arms. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes locked on his mouth. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the last time their lips had met; how delightful his kiss had been, even if it had been meant as the breath of life. She'd been about to drown...

"The things I have to do to steal a kiss from you..." he whispered. Then he was bending towards her, one hand moving up to tangle in the hair at the back of her head in order to hold her still. Her eyes closed as she felt cool lips slide over her own. He was truly kissing her this time, his mouth moving gently over hers. She groaned when his small, chisel-like teeth nipped her playfully and his tongue soothed the small sting.

When he ended the kiss and released his hold on her hair, she opened her eyes to see him regarding her with an expression of wonder. "Liz, you don't know how long I've wanted to do that," he breathed. "And it was every bit as wonderful as I'd imagined it would be."

"Then do it again," she pleaded.

He'd been breathing quickly, but now he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his gills, a vivid orange color, flaring. "I long to, but now would not be the best time," he said, regret evident in his voice. After brushing her cheek with the back of his hand, he turned away and began to shut the sliding door.

Unable to help herself, she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and rested her cheek in the valley between his shoulder blades. As his arms came down to pin hers in place and his hands covered her own, she began kissing his back, thrilling at the way he tensed beneath her cheek. Then she licked at the delicate membrane that ran from his spine to his upper left arm.

He trembled and when he turned his head to the side to look back at her he was blinking rapidly, his color high, his markings vivid; clear signs that he was excited.

"I think that we should make time for each other when we can; you know how difficult it is for us to get a break," she murmured, disagreeing with his assessment of the situation.

"Liz, I'd like to throw caution to the wind; God knows that this is like some wonderful dream that I'm afraid I'll wake up from, but..." he husked, his voice pitched lower than she'd ever heard it. "I don't want to move too fast, not after what happened last time."

"But you can sense how I feel now," she whispered. "Can't you?"

He took a deep breath. "It seems as though you aren't even thinking of any of the questions that so consumed you the last time we danced this dance."

"That's because this time around the answers to those questions don't really matter anymore," she whispered, standing on tiptoe to nibble at one of his gills.

Abe shuddered, as her mouth gently tugged and sucked at his sensitive lamellae and she distinctly heard his teeth click together as he snapped his jaw closed and leaned his head back giving her better access. After a few seemingly endless minutes of her attention, he was drawing in ragged breaths, his mouth gaping open once more.

His hands suddenly clamped down on hers. "Let's get this over with," he growled, breathing hard.

"Get it over with?" she asked, startled, as her mind jumped to the obvious wrong conclusion.

He chuckled raggedly. "I didn't mean... that. I intend to take my time when we get to that point." Turning slightly, he threw his right arm around her shoulders and pulled her forward against his right side, his left hand cupping the side of her face so that he could lean in and nibble at her neck.

"Oh Lord, Abe..." she groaned.

"Just Abe," he corrected, lifting his mouth away, not having lost his sense of humor. His left hand moved to capture her right one and slowly guided it, palm down, over his abs and under the waistband of his scuba trunks. "I was speaking of the necessary anatomy lesson. You've waited a long time for the answers to your questions and it occurs to me that it would be best for both of us to get this out of the way."

"You don't have to..." she began to say, trembling uncontrollably.

"You've earned those answers, Liz," he groaned. "Besides, your curiosity is driving me to distraction!"

Then even more slowly, he slid her hand lower. "I may not be put together like a human male, but neither am I as sexless as a fish," he whispered between nibbles, his breathing becoming shallower, quicker, even as her own was. His hand, forcing hers to explore him, was arousing them both almost beyond reason.

Stilling their hands for a moment, he paused to regain his composure. "Think of it this way; why would I be designed along the lines of a land based mammal when I'm aquatic? My body temperature is low enough that my testes don't need to be kept outside my body. It makes sense that they be located where they are best protected and insulated from my cold environment, which is why they are located internally, near my kidneys," he explained.

He slid her hand down over his pubic bone and slightly further, until there was no longer any doubt in her mind that something did indeed seem to be missing.

"You know enough about dolphin anatomy, Liz..."

"I think I understand," she panted. "Do... do you have control over when it makes an appearance or is it purely reflexive?"

"Reflexive," he gasped as he guided her searching fingers over a horizontal slit located down below his pubic bone. He pressed her hand harder against him, rubbing her fingers over his genital groove until, with a grunt and an uncontrollable buck of his hips, Liz suddenly found her fingers wrapped around something hard, thick, silky and oh so very warm. She nearly jerked her hand away in surprise, but he held her fast.

There was a moment of stunned silence, both of them breathing heavily, while her brain caught up with what she was holding. When it did, a long moan escaped her. As impossible as it seemed, he grew even harder. He made no protest as she began to slowly stroke him, overcome as she was, with a desire so strong that it seemed to turn her legs to jelly.

Their eyes locked, taking in the naked lust written on each other's face seconds before their mouths crashed together. They each seemed to be fighting for the right to utterly consume the other.

His other hand briefly made its way down between her legs before he gasped, then withdrew it, tightening his other hand over her own and stilling it, to their mutual disappointment. "We have to stop," he panted, removing her hand from his trunks and gazing at her through eyes narrowed with desire. "Now is not the time..."

She wrapped her arms tightly around him in reply, pressing her belly against him and stretching to nibble at his neck.

"God, Liz, you have to stop thinking such things," he groaned, then gasped as she nipped him some more.

"And what am I thinking?" she challenged.

"That you are pleased with me," he husked. "That, rather than think me odd, you actually find me more attractive than ever." He paused to suckle her earlobe. "...That you want me to take you right here, right now and completely..."

She placed a hand over his mouth. "Shhh... Gentlemen shouldn't give away too much," she cautioned.

"I really should go now," he husked. Giving her a quick hug and a peck on the lips, he let himself out the glass door.

Liz watched as he disappeared into the darkness. "I hope that the water in that pool is cold," she muttered, a lopsided grin on her face. "...Real cold; I really need to cool off!"

* * *

Abe had to fight the urge to run to his bungalow, so strong was the adrenaline rush of joy that gripped him, yet somehow he managed to keep some sense of decorum.

Reaching the door, he let himself in and flicked on the lights, surprised to find that the decor in his place was quite a bit different than that of Liz's bungalow. For one thing, it seemed to have a more masculine theme. He had to admire the thought that the resort had put into making each place unique.

Placing his card key and cell phone on the small table near the entrance, he shucked his scuba top and sandals, then checked to make certain that bungalow was secure. Only then dis he move into the bedroom, where he threw himself backwards onto the bed with a heartfelt sigh.

Liz had been... she'd been... unbelievable, incredible; everything he'd ever wanted. And her thoughts, her desire for him had been more than a match for the desire he felt for her.

Could it be that he'd found true love at long last; that this time, finally, he might win at love?

He was still replaying the last few passionate minutes with Liz over in his mind when his cell phone rang.

Perfect timing, as usual…

With a sigh and reminding himself that patience was a virtue, he crossed back into the main room to answer it.

"Hey Blue," came a familiar voice.

"Red," he replied. His friend's voice acted like a dousing of ice water, bringing him back down to earth. Still, he was glad to finally hear from Hellboy. "How are you doing?" he asked.

There was a sigh followed by, "Oh... not so good. I'm guessing that I don't need to fill you in on the situation."

"No, and I hope that you know that I had nothing to do with it," he replied.

"I don't blame you, Blue," Hellboy answered. "I know it was Liz's decision, but it's still so hard to take. There was a time when I really did hope that we'd always be together."

Abe sat on the edge of his bed. "I'm glad you called. I was worried about you," he admitted.

"Don't be; you know I can take care of myself," Hellboy groused. Then he sighed and fell silent.

"Do you know why Liz left, Red?"

"That's just it; I'm not sure that I do! It could be any number of things or maybe a combination of all of them. All I know is she's been pining for you the entire time she was with me. Maybe, in the end she decided that you were the right guy and that she made the wrong decision."

"It's not that simple," Abe sighed. "The point is that you might have been very happy with your relationship, but she may never have felt fulfilled. If you ask me, I think it makes a very strong case for not just rushing into a physical union with someone."

"Yeah, well that's easy for you to say, Blue," Hellboy huffed. "It's not like you've ever really had a woman begging you to take her."

Abe felt himself bristle at the comment but managed to keep his voice even. "There have been one or two times over the years," he admitted.

"Really? When?" Hellboy sounded very surprised.

"There were a few missions and it had nothing to do with love," he replied. "But you didn't phone to talk about me and as far as your statement goes, as I recall, you were the one doing all the begging. She was always somewhat lukewarm with you, but perhaps your need, your enthusiasm for her led her to think that it would be nice if things could work out between you two."

"So you're saying that I convinced her that she could fall in love with me?"

"Could be."

"Huh..." There was a long pause. "You may be onto something there. She never really acted enthusiastic, you know? She was always very neutral about everything." He sighed deeply. "You have no idea how that wore me down, how I kept looking for her to suddenly brighten and be happy, really happy. It never happened and slowly she began to drift away. I've felt this coming for a long time..."

"That couldn't have been easy," Abe replied. "I'm guessing that was why you started to withdraw in turn, why Kate's return had such a big impact."

"I never did anything inappropriate with Kate!"

"I'm not saying that," he explained. "Just that it left Liz not only uncertain of the two of you, but lacking the attention that kept her with you to begin with. She, in turn, saw you happy when you were with Kate, she saw you getting the attention she couldn't give you and which you needed." Abe shrugged. "We could surmise all day long, but in the end I think Liz was right; you and she were not meant to be a couple, no matter how much you wished it were otherwise. Red, it really does take two to tango. Now the next question is; can you accept that?"

"I'm trying," Hellboy replied. "But it's hard, so very hard…" There was a long pause. "Blue... you're my friend and well... I would never hold anything against you."

"Thanks, Red." Abe smiled in relief. "It's good to know that you're not going to pound me into a pulp."

Hellboy snorted. "Yeah, well, if you hurt Liz, I may. Take care of yourself, buddy boy!"

With a sigh, Abe clicked off and placed the phone on the dresser before making his way outside and heading directly through the foliage via a path which led to the beach.

In a short while he was standing on fine white sand and looking out over the gulf. It was a beautiful night; perfect as a Hollywood sunset and the moonlight on the water nearly stole his breath away.

With a joyous whoop that was quite uncharacteristic of him, he ran up an outcropping of rocks and dove in.

* * *

Abe made his way towards the shallows after a long, delightful excursion out into deep water. He realized he'd been gone longer than he'd intended when he caught sight of the moon and noticed how far it had traveled through the night sky.

He'd been on the water for two hours at the very least; not a good thing when the rest of his team thought he was nearby and easily reachable in case they needed him.

With a sigh, he started crossing the beach towards the foliage when he suddenly felt it, a wave of such malevolence that his fins stood on end and he felt a chill travel down his spine. It was coming from the area of the path he needed to take in order to return to his bungalow.

Backing up a short distance, he scanned the greenery and tried to pick up more information on whatever was so angrily watching him. He soon gave up, unable to either see or sense anything of use.

Instead, he began walking down the beach, close enough to the water to take to it if need be. His intent was to find another path or road and take a more roundabout way home.

The malevolent force followed him, growing ever angrier until he stopped and drew his gun. He doubted that the thing he sensed was mortal, but it never hurt to be prepared… just in case.

Twenty minutes later, he was both frustrated and out of patience; regardless of how far he wandered, the being refused to give up stalking him. He was truly beginning to worry about the rest of his team; it seemed that he was being toyed with and intentionally kept from them.

As a last resort, gun still in hand, he broke into a run and headed back the way he'd come. Perhaps he could out-distance it and reach the path to the bungalow first.

Minutes ticked by as he felt the creature fall further and further behind him. By the time he reached the trail header, he could no longer sense it and made the decision to risk entering the foliage.

Continuing his headlong rush, he approached the only fork in the trail without incident.

That's when his luck ran out.

He skidded to a stop as something parted the fronds and stepped out further up on the path he needed to follow.

It appeared to be an old man of averaged height, but Abe instantly knew it was anything but, for it looked like a drowned corpse. It's belly and limbs were bloated, its skin a sickly gray-green and its eyes a filmy, liquidly gray. Dark green kelp entangled its head, hanging like hair about its shoulders and it was lit with a phosphorescent glow.

As he watched, another wave of malevolence hit him and the creature raised one hand to point its long, horn-like finger at him. An evil laugh reverberated through the air.

That was it; apparition or not, Abe lifted his gun and shot the being at least three times as he headed down the secondary path at a full run...

The path went on another hundred yards and then made a sharp left, but he kept on running straight ahead, through the underbrush and right up to the edge of the large pond he'd spotted.

Turning a one eighty, he came down on one knee and trained the sights of his gun on the path he'd left.

There was no sign of the creature, nor any psychic trace. Still, he remained on guard as he caught his breath. He was just about to stand when he glimpsed movement behind him, from the lake…

With a bellow, the creature rose up out of the water and caught him in a bear hug from behind. His gun discharged one more time as he reflexively pulled the trigger and then he was dragged below the water line.

Finding himself in his true element, a sudden calmness settled over him even as he began to wrestle with his foe. The malevolence was back, hitting him with waves of psychic hatred as the apparition, now solid as any living creature, pummeled him and pulled him deeper.

The thing was strong and Abe found himself in a true battle of wills as he fought to free himself. Still, he had confidence that he would quickly rid himself of his attacker; he had a knife hidden in the back of his belt.

It was as he reached back for the weapon that his foe got the better of him; the strange kelp that clung to it began to wind around his head, covering his gills and tightening to seal them closed.

He flailed, the knife forgotten as a most unpleasant sensation began to overcome him; suffocation. He had little oxygen stored in his lungs and he would quickly drown without the use of his gills.

As if sensing this, the creature laughed most unpleasantly in his mind.

With little time to waste, Abe kicked powerfully, throwing his entire body into the task of moving to the surface. The kelp was now wrapped tightly around even his nose and eyes, but he knew which way was up and focused his will on reaching the air.

He succeeded, briefly breaking the surface and drawing a few quick breaths.

"Liz!" he bellowed.

Then he finally panicked, thrashing without thought as he was again pulled below the surface. This time even more kelp ensnared him, wrapping around his arms and legs and restricting all movement as he was pulled quickly down to the depths.

* * *

Liz heard the gunshots the moment she surfaced. She'd only just entered the swimming pool a moment beforehand, diving into the deep end and hoping that perhaps Abe would hear her splashing about and join her.

"Abe!" She cried out, immediately knowing in her bones that he was in danger. She could feel his anxiety twisting around in her head.

Despite her training, despite a history of the two of them constantly being thrown in the midst of life or death situations, a deep panic suddenly gripped her; making her shake with reaction as her adrenaline surged. She briefly thought about retrieving her gun as she hoisted herself out of the water, but felt it would take too much time and instead headed through the brush in the direction of Abe's bungalow.

Fortunately, she was guided in the right direction when another shot rang out, followed a short while later by his urgent cry of "Liz!"

She moved faster, her legs eating up the earth beneath them until she reached a fork in the path.

Barely slowing down, she took the route to the left, away from the beach.

* * *

Back in her bungalow, Miriam had also heard the gunshots. She flew past the pool to Liz's place but quickly saw the wet trail leading from the edge of the pool towards the foliage and knew her fellow agent was already on the move.

As she started off in the same direction, she was brought to a sudden halt as a large bull seal suddenly flopped its way into the pool area. Her first instinct had been to raise her gun when she'd seen movement, but now she slowly lowered it.

She and the seal stared at each other. Continuing on towards the path would mean getting closer to the seal, but she really didn't have any time to lose. Besides, she'd quickly heal if it managed to bite her.

"Sorry guy!" she yelled, making for the path at a run. "Don't have time to stay and exchange hellos!"

The seal watched her as she scooted past it, but then it began to follow.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me…" Miriam groaned when she realized what it was doing. Uncertain of the beast's motives and wanting to put more distance between herself and it, she ran faster.

* * *

Liz came to a standstill when the path turned sharply away from a pond that was just barely visible through the foliage. Abe was in that water; she just knew it! Carefully, she crept closer, taking care not to make much noise.

The moonlight through a break in the trees showed Abe's footprints and a place where he'd been kneeling on one leg in his favored shooting pose. Closer to the water, there were deep gouges in the wet earth, made by the feet of an unwilling person being dragged to water.

A slapping noise got her attention. Someone was running down the path in her direction.

Ducking behind a tree trunk, she waited in the shadows, ready to fry anything evil that showed its ugly head.

Seconds later Miriam came into view.

"Meyeul!" she yelled, as her fellow agent began to follow the curve away from the pond. "Get down here!"

Miriam did just that, but gave her a strange look as she bent over and caught her breath.

"There's a seal following me!" she panted.

"Never mind that now!" Liz snapped. "Abe's down there somewhere, and he's in trouble! We've got to do something!"

Miriam turned to look at the surface of the pond just as a cluster of bubbles broke the surface.

At the same time, Liz felt as though something vital inside her had suddenly been switched off. "No!!!!" she screamed, wading out into the water.

Miriam grabbed her arms and stopped her. "Wait Liz!" she reasoned. "You can't go in; if something has Abe, it'll get you too!"

Panicking and unable to hear reason, Liz struggled and then began to flame, burning the other agent everywhere they touched.

With a cry, Meyeul fell back, but just then they both became aware of the sound of something big and ungainly crashing through the underbrush.

A huge, gray seal bull bounced right between the two of them and made a single splash before it slipped beneath the water.

The shock of it was enough for Liz to regain her senses; her flames instantly died out and a terrible guilt welled up within her at the sight of the third degree burns on Meyeul's arms and hands. Some of the other agent's clothing had melted to her skin and her hair was singed.

"Oh my God…." She managed to choke out before throwing up in the surrounding greenery.

"I'll be all right," Miriam said between clenched teeth. "Liz, trust me; I'll be right as rain in just minutes."

Liz wiped her mouth and nodded, understanding but not feeling any better for it. Despite the other agent's assurances, the wounds had to be unbearably painful, for Miriam's face was white and she was shaking uncontrollably.

Falling to her knees in the brackish water, Liz also began to shake, but from a feeling of utter helplessness. She had no way to reach Abe, she'd severely injured Meyeul through sheer carelessness and to top it off there was a gray seal lurking in the same water as her partner.

Her heart was beating so fast that she felt faint. What could they do? What could she do? Standing upright she took a deep breath, ready to dive into the black water; better to at least die trying to save him...

"Look!" Miriam shouted, pointing.

The water was stirring. Then it began to churn angrily...

**To be continued...**


End file.
